


The Butterfly Effect | 방탄소년단 (BTS)

by baepsaebia



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Bromance, Bultaoreune, Butterfly, Dead Seokjin, Depression, Drama, Drunk Yoongi, F/M, Fire, Friendship, Gen, Grumpy Jimin, Hope vs. Despair, HwaYangYeonHwa, I Need U, Mystery, Narcoleptic Hoseok, Paranormal, Protective Namjoon, Psychological Drama, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Run, Save Me, Shy Jungkook, Teen Romance, Wings, World Travel, Young Forever, Youth, agust d, broken taehyung, wait what, 화양연화
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7650043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baepsaebia/pseuds/baepsaebia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(but·ter·fly ef·fect)</p><p>//noun//: (with reference to chaos theory) the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.</p><p>- • - • - • - • - • - • - • - • -</p><p>Six boys are left in complete despair after the unexpected loss of their best friend, and one foreign girl might have the answer that could alter their destiny forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Butterfly Effect | 방탄소년단 (BTS)](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/232715) by baepsaebia (wattpad). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter starts as a prologue. That's how I've formatted in Wattpad, however I am new to this and I'm just coming to notice that here you can't add prologues. I apologize if it becomes too much of a confusion in the future, but please know that Chapter 2 will originally be the chapter 1 of the story. 
> 
>  
> 
> ~ Author's Inspiration ~
> 
> This is a fan fiction about the Korean group 방탄소년단 [Bangtan Sonyeondan] (or commonly known as BTS). I started liking them for several months now -- along with K-Pop music lol -- and after watching the connection of all the HwaYangYeonHwa (The Most Beautiful Moment In Life) videos, aside from crying for hours, I got inspired to write this story.
> 
> If you don't know what I'm talking about, here you have the videos. I suggest for you to watch them first before continuing.
> 
> 1\. I NEED U (Original Ver.)
> 
> 2\. BTS on Stage: PROLOGUE
> 
> 3\. RUN
> 
> If you're curious about the connections to the videos, there are a lot of theories made by the fanbase which some can honestly amaze you. There is one that truly got me and was very accurate on the plot. A video is from JusttAlly on YouTube. This girl amazes me with all the theories she has come up for these music videos. I'm posting the link of the main theory she created: [https://youtu.be/VudPpJiSJlg] I do warn you to prepare the tissues because I sobbed while reading this. She also made a few more videos connecting the Japanese versions of the MVs. Check those out as well because it's literally mind-blowing. EVERYTHING CONNECTS SO WELL.
> 
> So after entertaining yourself watching these, you can continue on reading my story. I don't know how it will turn out, but I hope you like it.
> 
> It will be an AU story (alternate universe). It means that I'll be using the video plot and them as normal guys, not the rising celebrities they are at this moment.
> 
> By the way, as much as I want to, I do not speak Korean (yet) so when the boys talk, it will be all in English. I will use some of the usual Korean slang, of course, but remember this is a fan fiction.
> 
> If you want to translate it to another language, please message me or send me an email to ask for permission at: beeee5sos@gmail.com
> 
> Please do not copyright. That seems to be a trend nowadays.
> 
> Oh yeah, and there's profanity that will eventually emerge in the book. Nothing to be surprised about, but if you can't handle it, I suggest for you not to read this. 
> 
>  
> 
> Little Korean slang that might be used in the story for those who don't know:
> 
> Hyung - Boy's older brother or older member in a group (usually also used as "bro")  
> Maknae - youngest member in a group  
> Dongsaeng - Younger brother/sister  
> Oppa - Girl's older brother or close guy friend  
> Eomma/eomeoni - Mom/mother  
> Appa/abeoji - Dad/father  
> Noona - Boy's older sister or close girl (that is a) friend  
> Unni - Girl's older sister 
> 
> Hope you like it, enjoy the story!

* * *

                                                               

 

****

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

It was a cold but sunny November morning, and I was walking through what I considered similar to a forest. I was surrounded by tall flourishing trees, and I couldn't find a way to get out of there. It was beautiful view though, and just like everything else I found interesting, I decided to record it with my camera.

As I paced myself through it, eventually I began to hear voices from afar. Curious enough, I increased my speed towards those whispers, never losing the grip of my camera that was still recording everything in my path.

Finally reaching where the voices came from, I found what I've been looking for this whole time.

They were there, in the middle of what used to be a public pool -- and now it's just pure grass and graffiti art -- greeting each other like they haven't talked in ages. My dongsaengs, all six of them as happy as ever...

Something was not right though.

It was Tae.

When Namjoon helped him get up from that abandoned mattress he was laying on, he didn't look... _happy_. At least not genuinely happy like he usually always is. The others seemed to notice as well, and they pushed him around to cheer him up.

Jungkook then saw my direction, noticed my presence, and pointed. "Oh, it's Jin hyung!"

I finally put away my camera and jumped down to where they were at. The boys moved away except for Taehyung, who opened his arms wide and immediately embraced me tightly, laughing just as he was so happy to see me although I saw him just recently. I returned the gesture, feeling content that his smile has returned momentarily.

I realized one thing.

> _You can smile as long as we are together._

We spent the day doing that, laughing together. The maknae found a cart out of the blue, Yoongi got on it and it all went downhill from there. The good idiot almost slammed his face on the wall. They fought for what to play afterwards, several rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors were made.

It was a lovely afternoon. I was able to create wonderful memories with my best friends. At one point, I found a monarch butterfly fluttering over a bed of weeds.

But wait, this was not right.

The weather was cold enough to wear gloves. It's not normal for a monarch butterfly to be out on this freezing almost-winter climate.

I stopped recording once again, glanced around my surroundings...

This is not right.

No... This is not _real_.

Just... What is this place?

 


	2. 0.1 (original)

****

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

 **「** **_ Jesse _ ** **」**

It was the autumn after my high school graduation. I was in my late teens; young, naive, _reckless_. I didn't know how to start building up my future. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up. There was one thing I knew I wanted to do for sure: travel around different parts of the world.

And that's what I did. That summer I worked hard on earning money so I could start off my trip around the world. I was lucky I got a job where I earned enough to buy more than one ticket, and if I was stuck in a city, my plan was to improvise quickly by working part-time somewhere. I thought really careful about where to begin my journey, and I didn't want to stress myself more than I already was, so I chose to start on the other side of the planet.

Oceania was the inception of my journey. I found my favorite animal in Australia, I was able to visit a kangaroo conservation center near Sydney and allowed to caress one. I also passed by the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand; and although as much as I wanted to, I wasn't able to bungee jump due to the severe weather that day. Then I continued in Asia, more specifically: Japan. I stayed a few more days than usual in Tokyo, since I have always dreamed of exploring the city of the Rising Sun.

My next stop was between Hong Kong and South Korea. I wasn't sure at first where to go, until I remembered that one of my closest friends recently moved to Seoul with her family.

South Korea was the next destination.

Hannah and I have been best friends since our early middle school years. She was born in Korea, but she would go back and forth to the United States with both of her parents, which explains on how we've met. I heard once that she has an older brother back in her country, but I never met him since they always went to Seoul for the holidays. Anyway, she was very excited when I told her I was going to stay in her hometown for a few days.

The cold November morning welcomed me unexpectedly. I wasn't aware of how chilly it was going to be that day. On top of that, I was already questioning whether to knock on the door or just get a room at the closest and cheapest hotel. My decision skewed to the hotel, but as soon as I turned around, Hannah's mother arrived with a bunch of grocery bags on her.

"Mrs. Kim! Are you crazy carrying all this by yourself?!" I rush towards her to grab some bags.

"Oh, thank you so much. It's that my daughter told me that her friend was coming over so I thought of--" She placed the groceries on the table and finally noticed that I was the one assisting her. "Oh my! My dear Jessabelle, you're finally here!" She embraced me tightly in her small arms. "Welcome to Korea!"

"Hello, Mrs. Kim." I hold back a chuckle while I hugged her back.

"It's been so long!" She does her usual pat on my cheeks. "Look at how much you've grown in a matter of months!"

"Oh please, there hasn't been any changes..."

"Are you kidding me? You seem so mature already that I didn't recognize you! I heard that you've been traveling around?" She walks into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I've been exploring..." I followed her along.

"Good for you, I know how you've always talked about doing that." And this is why I always loved Mrs. Kim. She's always so supportive of my crazy dreams. "Hayeon won't be home for a while..." Oh yeah, Hayeon is Hannah's Korean name. I call her by the American name since she first introduced herself to me as Hannah Kim.

"She went to visit her grandmother and then she will be heading to work. In the meantime, feel at home!"

She showed me to the guest room so I could start unpacking. That's all I did in the afternoon, and from that I ended up napping a little bit thanks to the jet-lag catching up to me.

Before I even realized, I opened my eyes into consciousness once again and it was already 6:30pm. I was so confused as soon as I got up from the bed, I didn't recognize the room I was at. What brought me back from the sudden amnesia was the smell of black soybeans, in which I have smelled it before in one specific place.

I headed downstairs, finding Mrs. Kim finishing up some sort of Korean feast. It's surprising how much food could fit on that tiny table.

"Oh, you woke up. I figured you were exhausted so I let you sleep."

"I'm sorry for not helping you all this time..."

"Nonsense! You're the guest here. In this case, Hayeon-ah should be helping me..." She glances at the clock on the wall. "I wonder what is taking her so long..."

"Would you like for me to pick her up?" I suggest.

"Do you mind? I'll give you the exact directions in a moment." She grabs a napkin to wipe her hands.

"Don't worry about that, I have a GPS system in my phone. I'll just need the house's and her job's address." I showed her my phone screen with the application so she made sure.

* * *

I went walking to the restaurant. According to my phone, it didn't seem far, but walking to there somewhat feels like a pain in the ass. These are the moments where I wish there was a bicycle close by to ride on.

Always responsible at an intersection, I looked both left and right before crossing. This intersection was somehow different. It seemed like traffic is stuck far ahead to the opposite way where I am currently heading. The sound of sirens are clearly heard.

I have the unavoidable trait of being nosy. Terrible habit, I know, but I can't anything about it.

I glanced at my watch and calculated a good fifteen minutes to check out the cause of this ruckus, and then I would head back to Hannah's job. I began sprinting as fast as possible, so I wouldn't waste time and worry Hannah's mother.

Into five minutes of running nonstop, my breath was unstable enough so I slowed down. I notice the bridge is temporarily closed, only a few pedestrians are able to pass at a certain point. Police cars and a few ambulances are blocking the view, so no one can see anything.

I don't give up, though. I find an isolated area where it leads to the same river the accident occurred. I manage to get within a hundred meters from the scene, my eyes catches on a tow truck pulling a black 4x4 pick-up from the water. Once on land, the rescuers take care of the rest, removing a body from the driver's seat. At that moment, I felt a tug on my heart. It is the first time I have ever witnessed such thing and I suddenly feel so upset.

There is one odd detail in the scene that I couldn't understand at first. A guy; can't make up his age because of the distance but he looks young and tall. He stares down at the rescuers picking up the unresponsive corpse with no emotion whatsoever. The most baffling detail is that none of the officers stop him from getting so close.

 _Maybe he's family of the victim?_ I thought to myself at first. A logical explanation. Maybe he's there to recognize the body.

 _Wrong_.

As he was dragging himself away from the area, the EMS took speed towards him. Instantly, I rushed closer to the scene and screamed for his sake. "Hey!! Watch out behind you--"

I thought it was too late, since the ambulance didn't decrease velocity.

However, there was no sound, no body slamming on the surface.

Nothing.

He was still there, standing like nothing has happened.

Now I definitely caught his attention and as he glimpsed at me, a freezing gush of wind blew against my face. The chills were rapidly creeping down my spine, I felt like I needed a tank of oxygen from how breathless I was.

I was never a fit person -- I barely passed my physical exams back in middle school -- but I swear on all my ancestors this was the night I ran so fast, I probably could've passed an stampede of hungry cheetahs easily.

I stopped for a few seconds after running about ten blocks to check if there wasn't anything following behind me. Then all of the sudden, a hand grasps my shoulder and I screech for my dear life.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What the hell is going on?!" I turn around and find none other than my best friend staring at me completely dumbfounded.

"Holy fuck. Hayeon Kim I am going to _kill_ you." My legs turned weak and I end up on the floor from how frightened I feel.

"How many times do I have to tell you that my last name goes before my-- _wait_ , you just called me by my Hangeul name. What happened." She squats down in front of me.

"W-Will you believe me if I tell you what I-I saw?" I tug her shirt.

"Any idol?"

"I wish it was an idol at this point." I huffed, really agitated. "I-I think I saw a ghost..."

"A what?"

"A g-ghost."

"Wait, a _ghost_?"

"Sweet flapperjacks, Hannah. Yes, a ghost. An apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image. A phantom. A spirit. _Boo_." You gotta love my sarcasm.

"I really hate your sarcasm." She sighs. "Where did you see it?"

"I witnessed the aftermath of an accident on my way to pick you up... A guy was standing near and as the ambulance drove away, I thought he was going to get run over by it but then the truck literally passed _through_ him." I grabbed her hands as she got up, so she could help me get on my feet again.

"Yikes, are you sure you're not being paranoid? Maybe your sister showed you too much of those _Ghost Adventures_ episodes..."

"Excuse you. I stopped watching those a long time a-- EEEEEEEEEK!!" I jump into her arms as something touches my head.

"Jesse." She clears her throat.

"Y-Yeah?"

"That was a leaf." She lets go of me, her annoyance radiating off her face expression.

"Maybe I _am_ a little paranoid..."

"Maybe?" She jokes. "Let's go home. Let me be happy now that you're finally in Seoul."


	3. 0.2 (original)

****

* * *

* * *

 

 **「** **_ Jin _ ** **」**

Everyone seemed to be awfully quiet comparing to their usual selves. Hanging out at our usual hideaway, behind an abandoned building in the suburbs of the city, we made a small fire and brought the uninhibited sofas around it. To my right, Hobi was sitting on the same couch as I was, eating pretzels and I would steal some from the bag every once in a while. To my left, Yoongi was entertaining himself with a lighter while Jungkookie laid on his lap. Namjoon joked around with Jimin, and Tae sat there silently, starting at the flames slowly consuming the wood. I then found a Polaroid in my pocket, the picture of one of our favorite places to chill out. I showed it to Hoseok, asking him if we should go there, and he agreed enthusiastically. I couldn't help but look at Taehyung, asking for his opinion as well, in which he silently nodded.

 

 

And so, I raced through the highway that guided us to the shore, going at a constant speed so we wouldn't miss the sun setting. The crazy idiots couldn't stop screaming like they were in some sort of rollercoaster ride. Once I parked on the isolated sand, everyone jumped out of the pick-up truck and ran carelessly towards the water. We goofed around, played with sand, got soaked... I'm surprised my camera didn't get damaged by all the water I got splashed on.

Eventually, we got on the truck to watch the beautiful sunset falling upon us. The absence of noise was haunting us once again, but it was a ritual we would always do each time we visited this spot. None of us would speak, we would just admire the work of nature. 

That same night I drove us back to the city, made a little rest stop at the gas station where Namjoon works to fill up the tank. He volunteered on doing the job so I just stayed put on the driver's seat. He got close to my window as the tank was getting filled, and asked for the Polaroid camera he found earlier below the passenger's seat.

He checked it out, immediately noticing that it still had some unused Polaroid sheets so he pointed it at me. "One, two..."

I felt Yoongi behind me, ready to photobomb the photo, he does that a lot.

Namjoon finished up and returned to the passenger's seat. He showed us the picture he just took one last time before placing it in the compartment, so I wouldn't lose it.

Instead of going back to the hideaway, I went the other way towards the bay, which was closer. I was quite tired and the others were already sounding asleep. Stopping by there to rest wasn't going to be a bad idea.

* * *

The next morning, we were woken up with loud thuds against the windows by Yoongi and Jungkook, apparently they became the new early risers by night. They mentioned of seeing the sunrise, so they made the rest of us get out and perch together on a small deck. The weather was magnificent, the waves calmly crashed against the deck right below where we were sitting. Something felt strange for a moment, and I was right as I noticed Taehyung wasn't next to me anymore.

He climbed up an unfinished structure near to where we were at, about twenty meters tall or so. He had his hoodie on, which is what he does when he is not feeling well or in the mood. He's a strange but bright kid, always looking happy when the gang would get together. There were occasions where he needed someone to talk to when the atmosphere wasn't clear in his household. That's when he would put his hoodie on.

_What is wrong with him?_

_Why doesn't he speak up to us?_

_What the hell is he doing up there?_

By then, the others noticed him up there as well, and began to shout at him to get back down. He didn't move a limb from his position, he just turned his head and gave us what seemed to be a lop-sided smile. Before we could even blink, he took race and jumped off from the top of the structure into the cold sea.

Hours passed since, I chose to stay in the truck observing while the others hung out. I'm the one who usually tagged along in the group, I was astonished by my own action of just watching from afar.

I opened the front compartment, snatching the Polaroid Namjoon snapped of us yesterday.

Once I saw it, I felt my whole body paralyze, my lungs quickly collapsing along with my heart that has abruptly stopped as well.

The same Polaroid photo taken last night of Min Yoongi and I, this time only showed me doing the same exact pose, but there was no significant trace of my best friend. It's like he was never there in the first place.

All the strange occurrences came crashing down like a pile of dominos. The butterfly, the weather, the silence lingering between us, the picture...

_None of this was real._

_Everything was just an illusion_.

My vision blacked out momentarily, everything surrounding me disappeared in a matter of seconds. My head suddenly burst in pain, several parts of my body cramped, I couldn't breathe at all, it felt like I was drowning yet I couldn't see anything. Maybe just a few air bubbles coming from my mouth, like I'm actually underwater.

I closed my eyes one more time, and I don't know how long it took for the agony to diminish. It felt like forever yet it went away in a simple snap of fingers.

My senses slowly return, and I could hear people talking. I noticed my eyes are closed tightly, so I loosen up a little and open them.

It is night, and it is cold. I'm not feeling cold but I could see from the trees swaying with the wind. I looked up to examine where I am, and it seems to be the Gayang bridge? Not exactly sure. I can see people up there, staring down at me. I realized right away that they were taking a look at what's happening behind my back.

There are ambulance units, police cars as well. There's even a tow truck pulling something out of the river, in which I considered to be a car itself, that has crashed into the water. The car is in bad shape, what surprises me the most is that it looks awfully similar to mine.

Rescuers immediately cracked what was left of the driver's window which kept them from reaching the victim trapped there; they opened the door with the help of a hydraulic cutter. As soon as they managed to open, water from the Han began to come out from the inside. Two officers get together to remove the person behind the steering wheel.

That person is me.

I glance down at myself for long minutes. The body wears the exact same clothes I have on.

_How can I be unconscious when I'm right here?_

_Is this a kind of sick joke?_

_Am I still dreaming?_

_What is happening?_

Endless questions keep tormenting my head. I don't know what to feel about the situation, I am just awfully confused.

I stare down at the corpse as it's been taken away into one of the ambulances. I am unable to say anything, I don't know what this all means.

_I... Died?_

"Hey!! Watch out behind yo--" Before I could fully hear what some girl had shouted from afar, I was momentarily inside of an EMS and rapidly out of it. It's like the truck just passed through me... Or more like I passed through the vehicle itself.

I stood there for a few seconds, not knowing exactly what to do next. I quickly jump into the conclusion that I'm not a normal human being anymore, especially after the turn of events I have just experienced.

That's why the truck passed through me, because they couldn't see me.

I look far to my right, where I believe I first heard the voice warning me. A woman, she looks younger than me, but probably as young as some of the boys. She seems foreign, her features are unlike local girls. She is in a state of shock, just like I was a few seconds ago. Her eyes were on me the whole time, until she turned around and ran away.

"Where was he taken to?" I hear from the conversation of two police officers.

"A Seoul hospital. It was the closest comparing to the one in Ilsan they were discussing about with the advanced equipment." Another one replies.

 _But which one?_ I'm desperate to know, I need to know how this happened. I needed answers, it makes no sense to me that... I went through something this awful.

 _They can't hear me. Damn it._ I rub my forehead exasperatedly. I'm out of options here.

I run up the slope, finding civilians walking around and living their daily routines. I tried getting their attention, but it was the same thing that occurred with the officers, they didn't notice my existence.

"Moh..."

I glance back to a baby cart. The child is quiet with his pacifier in his mouth, and he stares directly at me.

I sighed before crouching down in front of the kid. "I guess you're the only one that can see me, huh?"

He extends his arm to reach out for me. I touched his finger and he rapidly retreated, almost making him cry.

"If only you could speak..." I slightly smile hopelessly. It was that moment when I suddenly recalled the person who shouted at me to get out of the way.

_If no one can see me in this form, yet that girl still told me to be careful..._

_Does that mean she could actually see me?_


	4. 0.3 (original)

****

 

* * *

* * *

 

 **「** **_ Jesse _ ** **」**

The first night staying at the Kim household wasn't as good as I hoped for it to be, especially after waking up screaming from a nightmare.

"Jessabelle!" Hannah gets a hold of me as I pant for air. "What's wrong?!"

"I... I-I don't know... I dreamed that my feet were t-tied with a large rock and I was dragged deep into the ocean... I tried so hard to swim back up b-but it was impossible..." I could feel sweat trailing down the temples of my head.

"Hey, it was all a bad dream. Everything is alright now." She patted a towel on my forehead to clean the sweat away.

I knew it was a dream, but I couldn't stop feeling uneasy about it. I've never been the kind of girl who would get frightened enough to wake up from a dream. I wonder if this is work of what I have witnessed earlier in the evening.

Two days have passed since then, and I haven't gotten more signs of nightmares to get scared of. Everything was rather peaceful.

Hannah had a free day from her job, so she took me out to explore the capital city. Our day consisted mostly of exploring, shopping, and stopping by some food stands. Time quickly flew by, and we decided to head back as the sun was setting. According to her, it was going to be one of the coldest nights of the year.

It's already night when we get off the bus, and the climate clearly supports Hannah's futurology. I'm surprised it isn't snowing.

"I wonder what my mother is cooking for dinner..." She opens the gate and lets me go before her.

"Aren't you full from all the stuff we've eaten earlier?" I knock on the door.

"Of course not." She smirks, and shows me her keys. "Why are you knocking? I got the--" Her sentence is cut short when the door opened all of the sudden. I immediately thought it was her mother, but then a six-foot tall guy with bleached hair covered with a beanie appeared right in front of us.

I jumped into the conclusion that maybe we got to the wrong house, and I was ready to apologize right away, but then Hannah spoke up. "Oppa!"

She rushes to embrace him, like they haven't seen each other for a long time. "Hey, Hayeon..."

"What are you doing here? Are you here to visit?" She asks enthusiastically, then turns to me. "Oh! This is my best friend, Jesse. She's staying over while she's in town. Jesse, this is my older brother, Kim Namjoon."

He half-smiles at me. "Nice to finally meet you, Jesse. I heard a lot about you. Thank you for taking care of little Hayeonnie." His deep voice kind of took me by surprise when he spoke directly to me.

"Pleasure to meet you too..." I bow quickly out of respect, I already feel intimidated from this unanticipated encounter.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" Hannah asks him, glancing inside.

Her brother's manners changes to a more grim one, and it puts the both of us in alert. "Namjoon, what happened?"

"They're in the living room, they're perfectly fine." I could feel the brief heavy weight being lifted from our shoulders, but his expression sustained.

"Still... Something did happen, didn't it?" The younger sister couldn't let it go. He told us to go in and walk to the living room.

We met with both of their parents, who appeared to have gotten the news already as Mr. Kim was consoling his upset wife. We were completely dumbfounded, and Hannah was getting desperate for them to speak.

Once he told us what occurred, Hannah covered her mouth from the shock. Her body began to shake instantly.

A close friend of theirs got into a fatal accident a couple of days ago. Although he was still somewhat alive when they rescued him, he couldn't survive the comma, passing away just last night.

"This can't be..." Hannah lets out a sob. "How could Jin oppa... No..." Her legs weakened, causing her to kneel on the floor. I grab onto her and hold her for a while, offering my shoulder for her to lean on. I didn't know this person, but I could feel by the intense sorrowful atmosphere that he was really close to the family.

It kind of reminded me of the accident I witnessed a few days ago.

"Eomma... Can I stay here in the meantime?" Namjoon asks his mother nonchalantly.

"Of course you can, my dear son." She hugs him in empathy. "Tomorrow we'll go and pay our condolences to his family."

I took Hannah back to her room with the help of her brother. I remained quiet as she continued crying for the loss of this friend. Namjoon caressed her all the time.

"W-When did you find out?"

"I called his phone two nights ago, it was suddenly out of service so I dialed his house and... his brother..." 

"How can this be?" She interrupts him. "It's Jin... He didn't seem--"

"Hayeon. Hayeon, listen to me." He gets on his knees, place a hand on her cheek and with his thumb clears one of the many tears falling from her cheek. "It was an _accident_. It was no one's fault. There's nothing we could've done about it as much as we want to."

They stare at each other in silence for a moment, Hannah seems to have taken in what he has told her. "How are the others doing?"

"I don't know..." He sighs, wiping the tears threatening to stream down on his face.

"Did they find out?"

"Might have by now." He says with little emotion. "You should go to sleep, we have to go over early tomorrow."

She takes a deep breath before fixing herself and laying down. She looks at me for the first time since we arrived to her house. "I'm sorry about this, Jesse."

"Hey, I understand. You don't need to apologize for anything, Han." I give her a small smile of reassurance. "Good night, best friend."

She swallowed a sob as she nodded, and shut her eyes, sounding asleep within minutes. After making sure she's alright, I get up from her bed and head to my suitcase for some sleepwear to change into.

"Did she fall asleep?" I hear her brother's voice from the door.

"Yeah, she's resting for now." I confirm.

"I truly apologize for meeting you in such conditions, Jesse..."

"Don't worry about it, things like this unfortunately happen." I pat his arm in compassion. "I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend."

"Thank you..." He nods. "You should go rest as well."

"I'll do that, and you should, too. See you tomorrow." I wave him goodbye, receiving the same brief response and just like that, the door shuts. 

 

 

I woke up early the next morning, although Hannah said it was all right for me to stay home and sleep in. I'm glad that I was able to find something formal for mourning in my suitcase.

"You don't have to do this, you know?" She fixes her waves one last time in front of the mirror.

"I'm going with you whether you like it or not." I put on my black leather jacket over my white long-sleeved blouse. I heard her sigh behind me, but I pretend not to care.

"Thank you..." She murmurs.

"No need." I briefly answer, putting on my black beanie to keep my head warm and prevent myself from getting sick.

The car ride there was very silent, only Hannah's parents decided to hold a conversation. Hannah laid her head on my shoulder, while Namjoon looked out the window, lost in his own world.

When we got there, there were a lot of people coming in and out of the reception hall. I follow behind the Kim family cautiously, unaware of what to do. "Wait here, we're going to pay our respects." Hannah tells me before entering the room where the friend's family is.

I hesitated because I didn't want to leave her alone in a moment like this one, but I understand where she comes from; she doesn't want me to feel more awkward than now.

Standing out in the hall, I do my own little prayer to my own God and saints for this person's family. I stand out there for another good fifteen minutes until I see Namjoon rapidly coming out of the room, running outside into the street. Baffled, I turn and look for Hannah to ask her what is going on. I find her talking to a guy who seems to be around the same age as us, and even though my thoughts might not fit with the occasion, he is _very_ handsome. I wonder why he has those band-aids on  his face though, did he get into a fight?

I try not to let him distract me. "Han, where did Namjoon go?"

"He said he was going to the bathroom, right Jungkook?" She glimpses at the boy, who shrugs at the question. "Why, what's up?"

"Because I just saw him running out of the building in a hurry." I point towards the exit. Hannah then huffs in annoyance and rubs her forehead. "What the hell..."

"Hold on." The guy grabs his phone to dial someone up, immediately getting a response. "Rapmon, where are you?" He glances at us blankly as he speaks to this Rapmon person. Hannah pokes on my arm for attention. "That's oppa's nickname for them."

"Oh..." _So he's talking to him then?_

"Alright, be careful." He says before hanging up. "He's heading to the warehouse to look for Tae."

"Why would Taehyung be there at this time of the morning?" Hannah asks him.

"I doubt your brother even knows." He takes a deep breath, glancing around the room.

"I'm going." She mumbles to us before dashing out.

"Wait, Hayeon don't--"

"I'll go after her." I tap his shoulder, assuring commitment so he wouldn't worry as much, and so I go catch up to her in search for her brother.


	5. 0.4 (original)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Before there is any confusion, I want to clear out a smol thing. 
> 
> Since Jin is an apparition now, the quotations (dialogue) in Italics will represent him to differentiate from the other characters. I do warn that quotations in italics will also mean a person on the other end of a phone call, like it will be shown in a call Jesse makes later in the chapter. Sentences in Italics without quotation marks means thoughts the characters go through. Just read carefully and you'll get the hang of it as you go along. 
> 
> Just a small heads up on that. Enjoy reading!

            

* * *

* * *

 

 

I lost track of Hannah when we reached the abandoned warehouse, thanks to a car that almost runs me over at the intersection of the street in front of the place.

As soon as I went in, I felt a wave of relief that morning light enters the building and everything is visible, yet I could still sense an eerie aura and I kind of don't like it.

"Hannah?" I call her out loud, in which I get no reply. I go through some halls with no clue where they would lead, and continue calling her name. "Hello? Hannah?"

 _Where the hell could she be?_ I unconsciously grit my teeth from the anxiety building up.

My ears catch something peculiar as I walk through the passageways. I'm not sure exactly, but it definitely appears to be a person. A grave mumbling voice, a guy's voice. I pace towards an opened rusted door that leads to a smaller room where I assume Namjoon might be at, since this voice is deep like his.

I freeze on the spot when I finally find the owner of that voice. The first thing that made me realize it wasn't Namjoon was the hair. This person is a shaggy brunette. He lays against the wall, with his head down and a phone on his hand. He's wearing nothing else but a dark hoodie to protect himself from the cold. He looks defeated.

He notices my presence, and raises his head to look at me. I notice the side of his face is stained.

 _Blood_.

I step forward steadily, and see that his white tee is splattered with blood as well. These stains don't come from his body though, but I'm somewhat thankful he isn't injured. His eyes are fixated on me, and as I get closer, the trails of tears left on his cheeks are visible.

I kneel down right in front of him, less than a foot separating us. He still stares expressionless, making it hard for me to perceive his situation.

"Hey... What's wrong?" I dare to ask him softly, so he sees that he can trust me.

He doesn't say a word, nor does he move a muscle. Unhurriedly, I try to reach for his stained hand. "May I?"

Still no response, but I don't give up. "Aren't you cold?" I was only able to graze the palm of his hand when he quickly retreats. I distinctly expected that, but something was off. The temperature radiating off his hand was unusual.

This time I don't refrain myself from the contact, and I move his bangs away from his forehead delicately to feel his temperature. As expected, he is burning with a fever. "Crap... You have a fever; I need to get you out of here."

_"Tae..."_

I turned around as soon as I heard that. However, I found nothing behind me. Weird, because it sounded like there was definitely another person inside this five by seven-foot space.

 _Where have I heard that word before_...

It all clicked in a matter of seconds, from my assumption of what I've heard to the reason why Namjoon ran to here. _It's not just a word, it's a name_.

"Are you Taehyung?" I interrogate to the guy. He only had to avert his glance to me so fast to confirm that he's the person the Kim siblings are looking for.

"Taehyung oppa! Kim Taehyung, where are you?" Someone shouts from somewhere near where we are at. This time I recognize Hannah.

"Wait here." I tell him before sprinting into search for her.

* * *

 

I managed to find Namjoon and Hannah within a few walls away, and they were astonished when I told them I found their friend.

We struggled getting the guy out of the building, but we were able to exit and get in a cab that took us back to their house.

After a long tiring morning, the three of us hung out in Namjoon's room as Taehyung slept peacefully on his bed.

"Did you take care of the clothes?" Namjoon asks his younger sister, and she nods frantically. I helped her take care of his stained clothes with the magic of hydrogen peroxide, so at least a large percentage of the blood would disappear.

"How's he doing?" She asks him.

"His temperature is better comparing to earlier."

"What... Did he do?"

"I don't know. When he called me, he just told me that he missed me." He sighs, staring at his friend with worry.

"We should give him space until he gets better." I speak up.

"I should cook something for when he wakes up..." Hannah gets up from the computer chair.

"I'll call abeoji." Namjoon exits the room.

"Do you mind staying here with him?" She asks me before following her brother outside.

"Got you covered." And like that, she smiles and leaves the room.

I take the opportunity and sit on the chair myself. I peek around for a while, checking out the stuff Namjoon has in his room. There isn't much, though. Aside from the bed, there's a desk with a computer and a full book stand with texts in several languages. This guy is really smart.

My phone suddenly beeps with a couple of notifications, apparently I receive missed calls from earlier that I wasn't able to answer. Worst yet, the calls were from my mother.

"Oh shit, this isn't good." I check the twelve calls and five voicemails. The first one was calm, she wasn't screaming but her sarcasm was on point. " _Hey Jess, it's Mom. You haven't called for a while since you were in Japan. It would be_ very _nice to know how you're doing and where are you in the world because I am your mother and I am supposed to worry about you, my love. Call back as soon as possible_..." Now you see from what part of the family I get my sarcastic remarks.

By each voicemail, the level of anxiety in her voice raised. By the fourth message, she seemed to have snapped. " _Jessabelle Carter Lee, answer the damn phone or I swear I'm reporting you missing to the Interpol_."

The last one felt more of a death threat composed of several profanities not up for the younger audiences. After I finished listening to it low on speaker, I looked up to check on the boy in bed. It took me by utter surprise when I found him wide awake, staring at me in such unreadable expression.

"Oh, you're awake..." It's the first thing that comes out of my mouth. He nods at me slowly, which leads me to ask him the ultimate question. "Did you... Hear the messages just now?"

He nods again in confirmation. _Well, there goes my first impression_. I mentally tell myself.

"Um... How are you feeling?" I try to change the subject of this awkwardness. He shrugs and leans back on the pillows.

 _So he isn't talking to me, huh_.

Hannah then comes inside with a tray of food. "Oh, you woke up! I brought you some food because I thought you might be hungry..."

I can see the corner of his lips slightly go up. However, it didn't last long when she placed the tray on his lap. "It's _dak-kalguksu_."

I looked at the bowl of soup. "It looks like a plain chicken noodle soup to me." Of course, I get a slap on my head from her right away.

"It _is_ chicken noodles. That's the Korean name." She rolls her eyes, and sits next to him so she can feed him. "Anyway, go ahead. Try it."

He pulls back as she reaches the first spoon of soup to his mouth.

"Come on, oppa. You need to eat." Hannah tries feeding him again but he refuses by shaking his head. He looks like a four year-old rebelling against the hopeless mother. "Taehyung oppa!"

I take action into the matter and harshly pinch his cheek, and for the first time since I've found him at the warehouse, he makes a sound. A whiny cry, but I still consider it an early Christmas miracle. "Awwhh! Oww..."

"Stop acting that way and eat the soup." I almost sound threatening.

"I dun wanna." He grumbles.

"Eat it." I grab his jaw and Hannah stuffs the spoon in his mouth. He almost choked but managed to contain himself. He would make faces as he'd tasted it, and once swallowed, he takes the spoon from her.

"See? It is good!"

"D-Do you have bread?" He abruptly asks as soon as he breathes again.

"Not sure... Let me check, I'll be right back." She heads out, leaving the both of us alone once again. He quickly drops the spoon in the bowl and chugs down the cup of water.

"Is it seriously that bad?" I ask him in wonder.

"Bad is an understatement." He says in a raspy voice.

I grab the spoon myself this time. "It looks good though..." I try a bit of it, and the taste is something I cannot truly explain. Let's start with the fact that it didn't have salt, the noodles were extremely soggy almost to the point that they would dissolve themselves, the carrots were as hard as ice cubes, and I'm not sure why it felt spicy... _Wait, did she add pepper to this?!_

He is right, bad _is_ just an understatement.

"Escoose meh." I try not to spill the contents off my mouth as I rush to the closest toilet. Once I'm done I quickly rinse my mouth with water from the sink and head back to the room where I find a Taehyung covering his own as he holds his laughter. "How can you eat that?"

"I didn't want to." He tries suppressing his laugh but it's clear deep down inside he's cracking up.

"Hey, Jess--" I hear Namjoon at the door. He seems startled when he finds his friend awake. "Hyung..."

The expression in Taehyung's face drastically changed, which made me realize that it was my cue to step out so they could talk. "I'll come by later." I grabbed the tray with the soup and walked away. I had to make a stop to the bathroom and discard the soup down the toilet so Hannah wouldn't scold him later.

Heading to the kitchen, I find Hannah cleaning up. "Hey, what happened?"

"Your brother went upstairs. I figured they would want to talk."

"Ah, I see." She takes the trash bag out of the can. "Can you take this outside?"

"Sure." I grab the back and head to the front door. Another chilly night, but not as cold as the day I arrived. I sighed, casually remembering that I should call my mother because she is truly capable to contact the international police.

Then suddenly, I felt it.

It was something that I had experienced previously. The chills down my spine and at the back of my neck, the hairs of my forearms sticking up from goosebumps, my heart randomly skipping several beats...

_"Excuse me..."_

The only thing I was able to do from my immobility was turn my head to the direction where the voice was calling me.

He's tall, probably around 5'10", with broad shoulders. The hair a strange shade of brown, it almost looked like an olive green, probably has dyed it. Wearing a plain navy blue sweater, and black skinny jeans. His pale skin could be easily compared to snow. His dark eyes are the only thing that accentuates his face, aside from his thick, almost magenta lips.

_He is the one._

_He is that apparition I saw the other night at the accident._


	6. 0.5 (original)

** **

* * *

* * *

 

 

 **「** **_ Jin _ ** **」**

I spent the morning watching hopelessly as family and friends mourned for my life. It hasn't been easy, since I still can't accept the fact that I have died.

I tried my hardest to get back to my body as it remained in a comatose, but due to the internal and external injuries it obtained, it was impossible to return. The doctors themselves said that I had a very small chance surviving.

I had my moment of rage; I was mad at everything. Mad at the doctors for not trying hard enough, mad at my parents for giving up on me and asking to disconnect the oxygen supply, mad at myself for not remembering a single detail about the damn accident.

It all went away eventually, but I couldn't stop feeling annoyed at everything that passed by me.

I got to say I was surprised that a lot of people came to pay their respect for my family and I. I lost count, but probably a hundred people visited by 10AM. Most of them in which, of course, I have never met in my almost twenty-four years of life.

They began to appear afterwards. The Jeon family came to visit, and I was astonished to see Jungkook tagging along. Then the Kim family, with Namjoon and little Hayeon. I felt the need to walk out of the room because I couldn't bare to see the people I personally knew paying their respects. It's too heartbreaking for me.

I exited out the hall carefully, and my attention got caught by a girl that looked awfully familiar. I stopped to stare at her, trying to recall where I have seen her.

She was praying to herself in the corner. When she finished it with an amen, she stood there awkwardly looking around as people passed by for a good fifteen minutes. Then all of the sudden, Namjoon runs out of the room in a hurry, and both the girl and I stare in confusion.

 _Where is he going?_ I glance back to the girl, only to notice that she isn't standing there anymore.

"Han, where did Namjoon go?" I heard her behind me. I turn around and see her talking with Hayeon and Jungkook. _They know each other?_

"He said he was going to the bathroom, right Jungkook?" Jungkook shrugs, unaware of what is happening. "Why, what's up?"

"Because I just saw him running out of the building in a hurry." She points towards the exit. Hayeon then rubs her head in distress. "What the hell..."

"Hold on." Jungkook grabs his phone. I keep a certain distance from them just in case. "Rapmon, where are you?... Alright... Be careful." He says before hanging up. "He's heading to the warehouse to look for Tae."

"Why would Taehyung be there at this time of the morning?" Hayeonnie asks him.

"I doubt your brother even knows." He takes a deep breath, glancing around the room.

She mumbles something I can't quite make out, and exits the room hurriedly.

"Wait, Hayeon don't--"

"I'll go after her." The girl says right before following after Kim Hayeon. As I see her running out, everything comes into place as to where have I seen her before. Her dark hair, the way she runs...

She's the girl that shouted at me at the accident scene.

 _She was the only one who was able to see me since that day_.

Involuntarily, my feet began to move to catch up with her. I recognize the directions that lead to the warehouse, and I begin to feel uneasy about this.

Once inside, she starts to call out Hayeon by that name again. "Hannah?" She stays quiet as she paces slowly on the first floor. "Hello? Hannah?" _Why does she call her Hannah?_

She turns to a hallway, looking alert. I try to stay away from her as much as possible, but then I hear her gasping ever so lightly.

She goes through what seems to be a room, and I temporarily lose sight of her, so I slowly walk towards the same room.

"Hey... What's wrong?"

_Is she talking to herself?_

The first thing I find once I peek in the small space is the girl kneeling down in front of someone else. That someone else is the person everyone's been looking for.

"May I?... Aren't you cold?" I can't see exactly what is happening, but eventually she slightly twitches in astonishment. I step closer, obtaining a full view of Kim Taehyung covered with stains of blood.

 _What the hell have you done, hyung_.

She subtly puts her hand over his forehead, and her face shows no doubts. "Crap... You have a fever..." She glances around, trying to find something of help. "I need to get you out of here."

 _"Tae..."_ My mouth then blurts out, and I quickly cover it. I see her freeze on the spot and before she could turn around, I jump backwards. It's the most weirdest reflex I have ever done, yet I don't know why or how I did it, but somehow I managed to get through the other side of the wall, technically ending up back to the hallway.

I remained far from the girl, Hayeon, and Namjoon as they took Taehyung out of the building. I followed the taxi that headed back to their household, and once there I didn't dared to go inside. Instead, I waited for someone to get out to the front porch. I have yet to practice that going-through-walls trick, because in these situations that might be very useful.

 _"Ugh, how did this become such a huge mess..."_ I sit on one of the steps to contemplate the last couple of days. I feel stressed, which is a funny thing to say when I am - scientifically speaking - a spirit.

Before I could even realize it, the night fell upon me and gushes of wind swayed the trees in an unrelated pattern.

I stood up to go to the memorial service and check how my family and brother are doing, but the sound of the front door opening got my attention and caused me look back.

It was that girl again.

I glanced up to the sky, wondering if it's God's work that he's making us encounter many times. Was this finally my chance to speak to her?

I gain up the confidence and walk up to her. _"Excuse me..."_

I see her body tensing up again, which I consider it a good signal because that confirms that she truly can hear me.

Then she glimpses.

 _"Hello."_ I can't help but smile. She really _can_ see me.

She stares for awhile, her mouth slowly falling agape. _Wait, is this a good sign?_

_"I'm sorry for startling you, can we have a convers--"_

Out of the blue, she squats down, covers her ears and shuts her eyes very tightly. "I'm not hearing anything. I'm not seeing anything. I am not going not crazy. I'm probably tired..." She opens her eyes and gets up again, immediately turning around. "Yeah, I'm probably so tired to the point I'm hallucinating..."

It takes me a moment to actually understand what she is trying to do. Before she could open the door, I touch her shoulder and she squeals, scaring me as well. _"What in the world?"_

"Leave me _alone!_ " She screams, slamming her back against the door. She looks very frightened, and I can't help but feel terribly guilty about it. What can I do to gain her trust?

I kneel down and bow my head in beg, hoping that she would be more compassionate and less terrified. _"Please, I implore you. You're the only one who is able to see me and I need your help. Help me please!"_

The silence that followed afterwards was sort of unusual, and it caused me to glance back up to her. She was finally looking directly at me, cautiously uncovering her ears. I could see how frightened she is, but she isn't trying to run away like just a few seconds ago.

 _"Do I really look scary?"_ I ask her in wonder.

She was about to respond when the front door abruptly slammed open revealing a worried Hayeon, Namjoon, and Taehyung following right behind. "Jesse! I heard screaming, what happened?!"

The girl, apparently named Jesse, seemed to be in more shock than the rest of us. She didn't have any idea of what to do. She looked at me for a few seconds before averting her eyes back to them. "Spider. Big Spider. Huge."

"Spider?" Namjoon asks as he examines the front porch. "There are spiders?"

She just nods, looking down at the ground.

"It's alright, girl. Let's head back in." The Kim maknae pats her shoulder from behind and slightly pushes back inside. She seems a bit reluctant about returning to the household but follows along. However, she still turns around and makes brief eye contact with me before the door shuts close.

_And there goes my chance to speak to her. Great._


	7. 0.6 (original)

****

* * *

* * *

 

**「** **_ Jesse _ ** **」**

After the strange events that have occurred the previous day, I was surprised to have slept more than eight hours. I woke up to another cold day, and the house was awfully silent.

I knew that Mr. and Mrs. Kim had to go to work, while Hannah had to make up hours at the store due to having the day off yesterday. I thought that Namjoon was going to be in his room with his friend Taehyung, but they were nowhere to be found.

Since I had nothing to do, I decided to dress up and go out for walk. I remember a few days ago when I went to pick up Hannah, I passed by a small but neat playground near the Han river, so why not actually pay a visit there while I still can?

Before exiting the house, I messaged Hannah about the keys to lock the front door. Fortunately she messaged me right away telling me that they were hanged on the key holder in the kitchen and I could leave them behind the plant when I head out.

It didn't took me long to reach the park, and lucky for me, no one was there. Probably because there was school today for the children.

I settle on one of the swings and check on my phone. I take in consideration in calling my mother, who is desperate to know of my whereabouts. I place her on speaker once I dial, and after a couple of beeps she answers. [[ _Hello, this is Marie._ ]]

I glance down at the mobile, making sure I called the right number. "Hi Marie, this is Jessabelle Carter Lee. I happen to be your daughter..."

[[ _My daughter? I don't recall having one..._ ]] I squint down at the screen, unsure of what is going on _._ [[ _I used to, once; but she has forgotten about me ever since she has gone traveling..._ ]] I grimace at the phone on my lap for a second time.

"That's sad to hear ma'am... I was calling to see how my mother was doing but it seems that I got the wrong number so I guess I'm just going to hang up. Have a lovely da--"

[[ _Jessabelle, don't you dare._ ]] Ah, there she is.

"I'm sorry? What was that, ma'am? I thought you didn't have a daughter?"

[[ _Cut the crap._ ]] She says in her usual tone when she's serious. [[ _Where are you and why haven't you called in the past few days?_ ]]

"I'm currently in Seoul, South Korea." I sigh, witnessing my cold breath as I do so.

[[ _South Korea?! What made you go there?_ ]] She asks in astonishment.

"Cheaper price. I'm poor." I mentally facepalm myself as I finish the sentence.

[[ _Why didn't you come back home instead?_ ]] She sounds rather worried, which I knew that was going to happen.

"Don't worry about the money, I have enough to survive."

[[ _Where are you staying?_ ]]

"Remember I told you a while ago that my friend Hannah-- wait, you know her, Mom. Hannah Kim. She and her family returned to Korea after graduation? They've given me a place to stay as soon as I got here."

[[ _Oh, the Kims. I still have Saeri's email, I should contact her to give my thanks._ ]] She states. [[ _How have they been doing?_ ]]

"It's been tough for them, the son of a close family friend passed away in an accident and they hold a funeral yesterday..."

[[ _Jess, don't you think they have to deal with too many things for you to be there--_ ]]

"I know, Mom. I thought the same thing too. I'm thinking of just continuing the trip so I don't have to bother them anymore..."  Just when I finish the sentence, I feel the same chill down my spine I felt yesterday evening when I took the trash out. I ignore it, considering that it is due to the cold weather, but then I hear:

**_"Wait, you're leaving?"_ **

"What did you--" I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed that it wasn't my mother who said that. I looked up and see _him_ again, the apparition that I've encountered yesterday.

"Hannah is calling me... I'll get in touch with you soon." I tell my mother over the phone without keeping my eyes off of him.

[[ _Ok, I love you, be careful._ ]] She says.

"I love you too." I reply and finally hang up.

 _"We meet again."_ He gives an easy smile as I place my phone in my pocket.

"You sound like this is all coincidence for... someone who has been stalking me in the past twenty-four hours." I raise an eyebrow.

 _"Wha-- I didn't stalk you! I was just walking around trying to see what to do and I found you here talking alone."_ He goes into defensive mode.

"Why should I believe you?" I squint suspiciously at him. "What if you're actually evil and your goal is wanting to possess me?"

 _"If I was evil, I would have possessed you a long time ago, don't you think?"_ He crosses his arms, and he has a point there _. "Besides, do I really look scary?"_

I examine him from head to toe, he looks like a regular young guy, just paler than the average. "You seem chill."

 _"Is that supposed to be a ghost pun?"_ He sounds almost monotone. I stare at him dumbfounded as I come into mind with what I have pulled.

"Oh shit, I swear I didn't mean it--" my words get cut short once again, this time by his cackles.

 _"I was joking."_ He smiles _. "I'm Seokjin, by the way."_

"I'm Jessabelle, you can call me Jesse." I nod to him, a little scared to offer my hand since he is a... You know.

 _"You have a strange name..."_ He points out.

"I'm actually American, I'm just paying a visit."

 _"Ah, makes sense."_ He says. _"So you're staying at your friend's place?"_

"That's right."

 _"Nice..."_ He mumbles off.

There is an awkward silence between us, which all of the sudden it causes me to look around in case someone sees me talking to myself and thinks I'm crazy.

I clear my throat. "So... why are you talking to me, out of all people?"

 _"Well,"_ he puts his hands on his pockets _. "As you may probably know by now, I don't have a 'defined' physical state, which makes people being unable to see me. I've been trying to find someone in the past couple of days who can actually see me, but the only person who is able to, has been doing nothing but run away from me."_

"I'm that person, aren't I." I don't even say it in the form of a question.

 _"Sorry to tell you that."_ He purses his lips. _"Are you willing to help me?"_

"What if I leave the country before I can even help you out?" I ask. He was about to say something when someone startles me from behind.

"Aren't you Hayeon's friend?"

I turn around swiftly and find Hannah's handsome friend that we met at the memorial service. "Oh, hello..."

"Were you talking by yourself just now?" He asks curiously.

Thankfully, I manage to sneak my phone out of the pocket and show it to him. "Oh, I was just on the phone with a friend of mine..." I place the device on my ear. "Alright dear, we'll continue talking about this later." Seokjin stares at me humorously as I am technically speaking to him. "I _promise_." I pretend to hang up and go back to the boy next to me. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." He grins. "I didn't get to present myself last time, I'm Jungkook."

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Jesse." I smile back at him, admiring his soft-looking face.

"Like the rapper?" He randomly asks.

"The who?" I stare at him lost.

"You don't know _Jessi_?"

"Consider me a tourist, which technically I am." I state and he cackles softly.

"So what are you doing out here alone?" He sits on the swing to my left. "Or is Hayeonnie with you?"

"She had to go to work today, and I took the chance to explore around town, what about you?" I glance at him and find him staring into space with a blank expression. I notice he seems a little sad.

"I'm searching for a friend of mine. I was heading to check out the place he's usually at, to see if he's there."

"I see..." I mumble.

"Would you like to come along?" He offers with a small smile.

\---

On our way there, we talked about random things. He asked me questions about back home, and how I met Hannah. He seems to be a little shy, but he is honestly too cute.

It might have taken us probably ten minutes to reach a basketball court located by the river. I notice that the area is isolated, except for one of the hoops where there's someone playing by himself.

Jungkook calls him out, "Hyung!" And he immediately stops playing to look back at us.

"Why aren't you answering your phone?" He tells the guy, who fixes his beanie as he walks towards us, his hair is a bright mint color that looks pretty cool on him.

"It died while I was visiting Hope-hyung, sorry." He then turns to me, and I somewhat feel intimidated by his bold stare. "Is she your..."

"She's Kim Hayeon's best friend from the States." Jungkook interrupts him. "Jesse, this is Min Yoongi."

"Hello..." I bow shyly and he does so in return.

"So how's Hoseok-ssi?"

"Finally woke up, hasn't been easy but at least he's progressing." He sighs while dribbling the ball.

"I'm glad... I'm thinking of visiting later." The dark-haired boy almost murmurs as he stares at the ground. I didn't dare to ask what happened to this Hoseok person, I just don't want to sound like those curious old hags.

"There's Rapmon and V." Yoongi suddenly says, and Jungkook and I quickly turn around.

"Hey Sug-- wait, Jesse?" Namjoon's eyes widen in surprise.

"Jesse? Where?" Taehyung appears from behind him.

"I see you're doing better." I walk to him and pat his head, giving him a small smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were sleeping at home..." Namjoon seems a little confused at the turn of events, so I explained to him my journey for the past two hours in which thankfully he understood.

They invited me to hang out while they would play basketball. Namjoon stayed with me with the excuse that he wasn't athletic while the others just goofed around the court.

Every once in a while by the corner of my eye I would see Seokjin sitting down on an empty bench observing our way; but the strangest thing is that he would be watching the boys play the game, rather than me who he's been technically tormenting for the last couple of days.

_I have to figure out how to speak to him, since I did promise to talk to him later._


	8. 0.7 (original)

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* * *

* * *

 

**「** **_ Jesse _ ** **」**

_"Are you sure about this?"_

"Stop asking already. My earphones have a microphone so I'll pretend I'm talking on the phone." I answer annoyed, as I continue walking towards the store Hannah works at. Seokjin is beside me, worried that someone might think I'm going crazy or something.

_"Someone has an attitude."_ He says almost sarcastically.

"This sixth-sense ordeal is new to me, let me try to adapt." I mumble, looking both sides of the street before crossing. 

"I'm sorry." He quickly replies. "I'm not used to this either."

We stayed in silence for a good few minutes until I finally decided to ask him again. "So, what if I leave the country before I can even help you?" I look at him directly into his thoughtful eyes.

_"I would probably try to find another way."_ He shrugs.

"And if you can't find another way?"

He remains quiet for a few seconds before replying. _"Then I will have no other choice but to haunt you down."_

"Great." I roll my eyes, I only hope he would be joking but at this point who knows anymore.

_"So you're picking up Hayeon from her job?"_

"Yep, since I don't have much to do and I told her I would be walking." I reply, immediately realizing that he mentioned Hannah's name, when I don't recall it mentioning to him. "How do you know--"

_"Jungkook interrupted us earlier, remember?"_ He says swiftly.

"Ah." Now everything falls into place again. Kind of.

"May I ask you something?"

_"Sure, what is it?"_

"How did you... die?" I almost murmur it, low enough so bystanders don't hear me. I glance to my side, finding him looking up to the twilight sky.

_"That is a great question I can't even answer myself."_ He sighs, then stares ahead into space. _"Considering that my body was in the car when they took it out of the river, most likely I drowned."_

I suddenly feel upset as the thought crosses my mind. "Wait, you mean...?"

_"Yeah,"_ he turns his head to look at me and smiles nonchalantly. _"that night you shouted for me to be careful, I zoned out because of the shock of seeing what was left of my body in that state."_

I didn't know what to say after making such discovery. "I'm sorry for asking you--"

_"Hey, you were curious. There's nothing wrong about that, especially if you're going to be the one helping me out."_ He pats my shoulder, giving an icy cold touch and throwing small shocks of electricity that cause me goosebumps. He notices my face and quickly retreats. _"Sorry."_

"It's okay, I'm--" I was cut short mid-sentence as I crashed hard into someone, almost making me fall back if it wasn't for that same person holding my arm right away.

I take a glimpse at the person, with a bright orange-dyed hair covered by a dark grey beanie. He wears a black hoodie along with dark ripped jeans. He looks pale, as if he isn't feeling well. At that moment, Seokjin said something that I couldn't make out well. "Wha--?"

"Can you watch where you're going?!" The guy suddenly burst at me, interrupting my question to Seokjin who mentioned something I couldn't make up.

It took me quite a moment to notice the tone in which he spoke to me at the moment. "Excuse me?"

"I said to _watch_ where you are going, you should focus more in looking forward than being consumed in that damn phone." He lets go of my arm roughly, then fixes his hoodie and beanie.

"What the fuck were you doing then? _I_ should be the one telling you to watch where you walk!" I defend myself, raising my voice to the same level as his. He seems shocked with the way I just spoke to him.

"You're the one that bumped into me!" He blames.

"At least I was in my phone, what were you doing? Daydreaming about princesses and fairy tales?" I counterattack. He looks angry at this point, and he is about to reply when I get a text message from Hannah telling me that she's already out. "I'm wasting my time here." That's when I walk away, ignoring whatever he got to tell me.

"What the hell is wrong with him? Geez." I say out loud, and my fellow ghost friend suddenly chuckles. "Why are you laughing?"

" _I'm just so surprised that you answered him like that_." He gives me an amused smirk.

"Wait, you know him?! That jerk I just bumped int--"

" _Hayeon is there_." He points out, and just like he says she is walking towards me as she speaks on her phone.

"Yes I'm walking to her, Joon-ah. Don't worry about it, am I seeing you home?" She finally reaches to me, and smiles in greet. "Ok, I'll tell eomma." She hangs up and gives me a weird look. "Who were you talking to?"

Shit.

_"Shit."_ I hear Seokjin say, in-sync with my thought.

"I bumped into this rude idiot previously, and I was just ranting to myself. Haha." I tell her the first excuse that comes in my mind.

"What did he do to you?" I think she bought it.

"We bumped into each other by accident and as I was about to apologize, he raises his voice at me." I huff, getting angry by just remembering it.

"And you didn't bite his head off?" She says astonished. "The feared J.C. Lee of  Southwest Preparatory didn't do anything to this person? Was he hot?"

_Well, he might or might not have been very good looking_. "He was an idiot."

"Does that mean that he was?" She smirks, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

"What are we eating tonight?" I try to change the subject.

"My father was thinking of ordering Korean barbecue or fried chicken." She checks her phone. "Namjoon and Taehyung are joining us later."

* * *

 

**「** **_ Jin _ ** **」**

I left Jesse momentarily so she can enjoy her dinner with the Kim family. After hearing the conversation between Yoongi and Jungkook about Hobi earlier, I became rather worried. On top of that, I felt pure relief seeing Jimin-ah after that dumb conflict we have encountered.

Wait, _conflict_. What was it about?

I can't seem to remember the reason why we weren't speaking to each other. All I remember is that it's been a while since I last saw him.

That's what I loathe about my current situation. I start to say things that I might have done when I was alive but I can't seem to remember any detail from it. I barely managed to remember my family and friends.

_I don't understand why I'm still here. Aren't I supposed to be in heaven, or whatever that is called?_

Sirens of ambulances bring me back to reality as they pass in front of me, stopping my tracks from crossing the street. That's when I suddenly remember the closest hospital. Jesse bumped into Jimin earlier, which means that there is a possibility that Hoseok is currently in that hospital and Jimin was heading there to visit him.

I didn't hesitate to run towards the large building, in hope that my guesses were overall correct.


	9. 0.8 (original)

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* * *

 

 **「** **_ Jesse _ ** **」**

I tried authentic Korean barbecue from Korea and I never felt so blessed in my life. When Hannah and her parents lived in the States, they used to invite me for dinner so of course I have eaten Korean barbecue in their household. It was technically the same thing, but I don't know why this one felt more authentic.

Aside from a lovely evening, what was strange is that neither Namjoon or Taehyung have made an appearance like they have promised to Hannah. She tried calling them but both of their phones would transfer directly to the operator. Hannah got so mad, that when we were in her room after dinner and her phone rang, she completely ignored it.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" I point at the ringing mobile.

"I don't hear anything." She lies with pride and exits the room. Her aggravating action makes me grab her phone and just like I thought it is her brother's number. I re-dialed his phone number and by the third ring someone answered the phone.

"Hello? Kim Hayeon-ssi?"

"Uh, this is actually her friend, Jesse... Namjoon?" I couldn't help but asking because the voice didn't sound like his.

"Hello... Jesse. I'm calling you from Gangnam 16th Police Station, this is Officer Min and I was wondering if I can speak with Kim Hayeon, regarding Kim Taehyung and her brother Namjoon? I called just few minutes ago..." The voice on the other side of the line says, and I automatically start walking out to look for Hannah.

"Sorry about that, Officer. It's that Hayeon is not in good terms with her brother at the moment so she thought it was him since, you know, you're using his phone." I knock on the bathroom door and I get no response whatsoever. I bit the inside of my cheek. "Um, are Namjoon and Taehyung alright?"

"You know them personally?" He asks me.

"I'm staying in the Kim's house for a few days. I'm really close to Hayeon." I sigh and head downstairs, trying my best not to make any noise to wake Mr. and Mrs. Kim.

"Ah, I see. Well, earlier they were caught vandalizing a closed store with graffiti." I stop midway down the stairs as I hear this. "Everything would have been fine if they haven't run away."

"Oh boy..." Just as I say that, Hannah appears at the end of the stairs and gets startled by my sudden presence. "Oh! Hayeon is here, let me pass you to her." I shove the cellphone to her and she stares at me confused. "It's the police."

She looks down at the screen. "But it's Namjoon's number..." Her eyes widens. "Did something happen--"

"Shhhh! Don't continue raising your voice! Nothing bad happened to them..." She heaves of relief, until I speak again. "Well, they got arrested."

She averts her eyes at me again, hoping that I'm joking. I shake my head to bring her back to reality and she puts the phone on her ear. "Hello, this is Kim Hayeon... Officer Min! Oh, thank God."

I glance back, making sure her parents are still asleep. "Ok, I'll see you in a bit." I hear her say, and she immediately hangs up. I look at her and she takes a deep breath, clenching her fists tight. "I'm going to kill him."

"Let's go before you end up waking up your parents with your rage." I tell her.  


We took a little long getting to the station since we were struggling to exit the house without causing ruckus. As soon as we got to there, we headed directly to the water fountain to hydrate ourselves after the long run. Fortunately, Officer Min was waiting for us at the main desk; and I couldn't help but notice his familiar and young face features.

"Hayeon-ssi!" He smiles, then glances at me and bows. "You must be Jesse, thank you for answering the phone."

"I'm so sorry for all the trouble." Hannah apologizes to him on behalf of everyone, and he lets out a chuckle. I look to the side and notice a temporary cell cubicle. Inside of it, I can see the two sleeping idiots that made us rush here past midnight hour. Hannah stomps towards it and slams her house keys on the bars to make noise. "Yah! Wake up you little shits!"

When Hannah curses, you don't want to mess with her.

" _Kim Namjoon!_ " She shouts louder.

"Yah! I heard you already--"

"Don't you _dare_ answer me back like that or _I_ will be the one in jail after _murdering_ you!" She is close to pounce on him but he is lucky enough the bars are between them.

"Hannah, chill. At least nothing bad happened to them." I pull her back from there before she manages to actually break through the metal. "Can we bail them out now?"

"Well, yes but no." The officer answers hesitantly.

"Can you be more elaborated, sir?" I ask, trying not to flip the desk at this point.

"To begin with, I wasn't the one who found them, that's why they're here. And Hayeon, you're still underage so we can't let them out." He rubs his forehead.

"Crap, I completely forgot about that." She mumbles, then swiftly glimpses at me but immediately retreats. "We're in Korea... Damn it." I quickly figured out what she meant by that, since I have my American license and I'm eighteen there. I'm a year older here, since Koreans consider that in the day you were born you were already a year old; so I'm nineteen here. However, by Korean law, you are considered an adult by the age of 20.

"Sorry." I purse my lips.

"What am I going to do?!" She whines in frustration, hitting her head on the counter.

"I could always call my--"

"Yoongi! Yes!" She raises her head and slaps the table as she interrupts the officer. I can see they have a close relationship. "Would you do that?"

Namjoon is listening to the whole conversation so he decides to speak. "It's late though, will he even get u--"

"Who allowed you to say a word right now?" She shoots daggers at her brother, who immediately shuts up. I try my hardest not to laugh. I'm surprised that Taehyung hasn't woken up from all this.

* * *

 

"What the hell is going on here." Yoongi enters the station as Hannah and Officer Min were talking. "Why are you calling me at this unholy hour." He sees me and nods. "Hi, Jesse."

A little surprised that he remembered my name from earlier, I return the greet. "Hello, Yoongi."

"Yoon-- wait you know each other?!" Hannah points at the both of us.

"I told you I was with Jungkook and him earlier." I remind her and she mumbles an 'oh, right'. I would make fun of it but I know she's just really tired.

Yoongi glances at Namjoon and Taehyung inside the cell, then averts his eyes to Hannah. "Do your parents know?"

Hannah quickly shakes her head, giving Yoongi the reason why he was summoned. He sighs. "Alright, Hyung. Where are the bailing papers."

"Sorry for waking you up, little bro." Officer Min apologizes as he hands him the documents.

"Little bro?" I suddenly blurt out as I noticed the way they're speaking to each other.

"He is Min Yoongi." Hannah explains. "Officer Min's dongsaeng." And that's when the pieces fell into place.

"Ah, that's why your face features seemed familiar!" I say a bit too loud, regretting it right after. "Sorry..."

Officer Min laughs. "Don't worry, we get that a lot." He walks over to open the cell as Yoongi does the paperwork with Hannah. "Alright boys, you got very lucky tonight. Try not to get in trouble because you won't be as lucky next time." He lets Namjoon walk out but Taehyung still remains laying down on the bed.

"I tried waking him up but he's in deep sleep." Namjoon tells me as the three of us look at the unconscious body. I walk over and kneel down next to it.

"Taehyung... Taehyung, you need to wake up." I move his shoulder to shake him awake but he gives no response. "Dude, wake up..." I place my hand in his cheek to pinch it but I notice that it's damp.

 _He is crying_.

"Taehyung?" I delicately brush his hair away and observe his eyes tightly shut, tears keep streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably, his rosy lips quiver.

"Is everything okay?" Officer Min asks me but I quickly bring my hand up to stop him.

I put the palm of my hand on his cheek, ignoring the fact that is soaked in tears, and slowly caress it. "Taehyung... Taehyung, listen to me. Wake up, it's just a bad dream. Taehyung, listen to my voice. It's just a nightmare."

All of the sudden, he opens his eyes wide along with a deep breath he inhales, as if he's been underwater this whole time. He pants rapidly and glances my direction. "I... I..."

"Everything is fine." I reassure him, he looks terribly frightened and I can't help but feel protective of him. "Look at me, it was just a bad dream."

"Kim Seok... Jin-ah... Seok..." He mumbles between sobs, making it hard to understand what he says. Seeing him in such state makes me a little emotional, but I manage to compose myself. "I-I was d-drowning..."

I could feel my body tense up as soon as he says that. Flashbacks of my own nightmare I had days ago return to haunt me. "Tell me more." I almost demand him, hoping that talking about it could also calm him down.

"I-I opened my eyes and n-noticed that I was underwater and couldn't b-breathe." He explains while he stares into space, remembering details. "I was trying my best to s-swim back up but I had my feet tied to something heavy."

 _Yes, it's the same exact dream I had_. I think to myself, at this point unable to say if this is some sort of happenstance.

"A-And I think... I s-saw my h-hyung..." He releases an unexpected gasp as he sobs.

"That per--" I stop midway as I rewind on his first few words. "Seok... Jin?" I mutter, not believing my ears.

_Am I really going crazy?_

Taehyung's hiccup-cry combination wakes me up from that trance of shock. The poor guy looks so naive and pure, I immediately embrace him in a hug that he gladly accepts. He cries on my shoulder, and I want to feel compassion towards him but the mentioning of that name is gradually tormenting me at the moment.

_I am starting to think this is not a coincidence._

_I need to speak to_ him _as soon as I get the chance to._


	10. 0.9 (original)

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* * *

* * *

 

**「** **_ Jesse _ ** **」**

We were fortunate that Officer Min decided to give us a ride back to the Kim household before dawn. The ride back was very quiet, Hannah fell asleep on my shoulder while Taehyung still held the hand I offered to get him up from the mattress back inside the cell at the station. He was very calm comparing to earlier, it reminded me when I first met him at the warehouse a few days ago. Once at our destination, we bid our quick goodbyes to the officer and headed inside without saying a single word to each other. The exhausting aura was felt all around.

We rested through what was left of the morning. Hannah was the one who eventually woke me up past noon asking me if I wanted to go with her to the hospital to visit a friend. I accepted it for some particular reason, gradually regretting it right after because I don't know the person and it would probably be so awkward just standing there like the typically outcast I am.

As we were walking through the cold hallway that leads us to her friend's care room, my walk begins to stiffen a little which usually happens when I don't want to go somewhere. Hannah knows this habit of mine since back in our junior high years, so she noticed right away when I remained more than five feet behind her.

"Don't worry about it, Hoseok is awesome, you won't regret coming with me." She assures as she grabs my wrist and pulls me forward.

She knocks on the door, immediately getting it opened by one of the nurses taking a cart out of the room. She vows politely and walks away.

We enter and find a couple of empty beds lined up separately against the wall, except for the last one where there's a young man enjoying his meal as he watches television. He glances to us and drops the spoon in his bowl of soup. "Hayeonnie!"

"Hobi!" She smiles and rushes to hug him. "I'm so glad you're doing better!"

"I'm really sorry for worrying you, I heard from Namjoon-ah you wanted to visit me earlier." He notices my presence and Hannah turns to me.

"This is my best friend from the United States, she's staying over my house for a few weeks." She tells me to get closer and I quickly vow, I'm starting to get accustomed to this way of greeting.

"Ah! American friend! Good afternoon. I'm Jung Hoseok, nice to meet you."

"You can call me Jesse, pleasure to meet you too." He looks like an outgoing fella. I wonder why he ended up here, maybe he's got a case of anemia or something?

"Hayeon-ah you sit on the bed, let Jesse sit on the chair." He pats the mattress as he signals to Hannah.

"Oh, it's fine! Don't worry about it!" I wave my hands gesturing rejection in the nicest way possible.

"Nonsense! Sit down, I'll love to know more about you. I've seen Kim Hayeon too many times already." He says bluntly, receiving a slap by Hannah on one of the covered legs. "Hey!"

"You know you're my favorite dongsaeng." He ruffles her head and she glares at him, acting like her feelings are hurt. I try to hold my laugh because their bond is so cute.

"So what about these things? Get well soon gifts?" Hannah asks as she points to a bag.

"Oh, not really. Those are Jiminie's things."

"Jimin oppa is here?" She asks, and before he could answer, someone barges into the room with drinks and snacks. I freeze on the spot as I am quick to recognize that same orange-haired idiot I bumped into yesterday, this time with a really nice varsity jacket that makes him look less like a hobo.

"Hey Hope-hyun-- oh?" He notices Hannah first. "Hayeon-ssi?"

"Jimin!" She waves at him a little astonished. "You changed your hair!"

"Heh, I did. And you've grown taller." He gives a lop-sided smile. As soon as he turns to me, I look down at my cellphone in which I realize I've been holding the whole time. He doesn't say anything, but I'm sure he is staring straight into my soul at the moment.

"How are you doing?" Hannah sounds very concerned when she asks.

"I'm alright." He simply replies. I glance at Hannah who doesn't look very convinced. I briefly glance at him and thankfully he is not looking this way. "Hyung is not with you?"

"Don't remind me of that idiot." She huffs and explains the events earlier. "Who knows what they're doing right now."

"How's Tae doing?" Hoseok asks this time. "I heard he's staying over at yours."

"He looked perfectly fine after finding him at the abandoned warehouse, but yesterday while Yoongi was bailing them out, he was having a nightmare and he woke up screaming." She recalls last night. I avert my eyes slowly to this Jimin guy, who I catch staring again.

I stand up from my chair, and excuse myself from the room. "I'm going to get something to drink. I'll be back."

"Call me if you get lost!" Hannah says quickly before the door closes. I take a deep breath and start to   
walk through the halls looking for a vending machine. There are nurses everywhere, but they keep quiet as they do their jobs.

From afar I spot what I've been looking for a good five minutes and I felt like I have been blessed by the gods. I check my pockets for some wons I've exchanged last time I went out with Hannah. From my small Hangeul knowledge, I managed to understand that a can of cola is 650 won.

I happily find a few coins that together slightly surpass the amount I need to insert in the machine. At first I didn't worry since I thought it would spit the change back as soon as I was getting my drink, but it didn't spit neither my change nor the can.

"You've got to be kidding." I press the button several times, slam the machine, touching the screen in hope that it will give me something, but nothing occurs. "It swallowed my money."

That's when once again I hear the similar sound of coins being inserted in this piece of junk. I glance up and can't help but gulp seeing that Jimin guy pressing the button for a coke can.

The machine finally gives the can and the change. "Keep it." I hear him mumble.

"Thanks." I reply hesitantly.

"Consider it as an apology."

I almost choke on saliva as soon as he says that. "I'm sorry, what."

"For not greeting earlier, I figured that's why you left the room."

"O-Oh." I breathe out shakily. "No need to apologize for that. I'm a little awkward." We start heading back to the room.

"You know, you seem very familiar though... Have I seen you anywhere before?" He looks down to analyze me through, and I keep my eyes forward.

"Not that I could recall. I've been with Hannah the whole time."

"Hannah?"

"Hayeon." I correct myself.

"Oh. Well, I'm Jimin."

"I'm Jesse."

"What brings you to Korea, Jesse?" He asks me as he opens the door of the room and lets me pass first.

"Just wasting some time here, not much--"

"Oh, hey! Seems like everything went well?" Hannah interrogates me as soon as she spots me by the door.

"Yeah, I found it." I show her my can. "I was having some trouble with it, I still haven't gotten accustomed with the won so the price was driving me a bit--"

"Wait a minute, I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" I get interrupted once again, this time by Jimin, who glares at me as if I'm Public Enemy #1. "You're the annoying chick that pushed me yesterday!"

Hold up, what did he just call me?

"Excuse _you?_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! I hope you've been liking the story so far. 
> 
> Please don't hesitate in commenting and giving me your opinions on the plot. If you'd like, you can follow me @baepsaebia on twitter. You'll likely get to see me fangirling and ranting about life most of the time, but I usually announce if there are updates there as well. 
> 
> Thanks for the support!
> 
> \- Bia x


	11. 1.0 (original)

                             

 

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* * *

* * *

**「** **_ Jin _ ** **」**

The day was gloomy. Mostly cloudy and chilly. There wasn't much going on the streets, other than people walking at their own pace.

I spent the whole day thinking about last night, seeing Hoseok embraced in Jimin's arms as they were crying on the hospital bed. Hobi's weeps decreased as the time passed by, while Jimin's were almost unnoticeable. They didn't have to say a word to know the cause of their tears.

I haven't seen Jesse since she met up with Hayeon yesterday in the evening. I didn't want to bother her with my sudden conflicts since she has barely adapted to this 'paranormal' concept, and over all that, her life is barely connected to mine by Hayeon-ssi. I don't want to complicate a life more than it already is.

 _A life_...

I still can't seem to remember anything that culminated my physical existence to such short term. As hard as I'm trying to recall stuff, nothing seems to return, only old memories when I was younger and that's about it.

I feel helpless, and it sucks.  
  


Since I had nothing to do all day, I decided to check once again on the boys at the clinic. I want to see what I could do to help, and maybe see if I could gain some of my memories back. One of the very few benefits about being a spirit is having an unlimited visitor's pass to the hospital.

I have to look at the bright side of small things, right?

I walk through the plain halls I have become familiar to just the night before, they feel more lively as few nurses pass by to check on other patients. Once I reach the room I've been looking for, I sigh as I find the door closed. This means I have no other choice but to use my new ghostly skills and walk through it.

I step back, silently praying that it works out. As I take speed, the door opens abruptly and instead of passing through wood, I end up passing through the body of a middle-aged nurse.

My knees and hands touch the cold surface at the same time there is a sound of metal clanking behind me.

I turn my head and freeze on the spot, as I notice the woman stopping her tracks. _This is not good_.

"It's kind of cold here..." I hear her mumble. "I should have brought my sweater this morning." And just like that she walks away.

"That chicken was dry." Jiminie hyung obtains my attention as the door closes.

"I thought it was alright, the bibimbap was delicious. You would've liked it." Hobi says.

"I'm still traumatized with Hayeon-ah's bibimbap disaster from last year." He makes a disgusted frown.

"That was truly tragic." Hoseok recalls that day. I even shiver just thinking about it myself. "I'm glad I was able to see her again, she looks better than I thought she would be."

"Yeah... Joon-hyung as well..." A silence creeps in the atmosphere, Hoseok looks out the window as Jimin just stares into space.

"That Jesse girl, she was interesting..."

 _Did he just mentioned Jesse?_ _Is he talking about the same Jesse I'm thinking about?_

"Agh, are you kidding me? She was annoying, she's so stubborn and rude." Jimin's face expression changed in an instant, I haven't seen him this altered in a while.

"You didn't sound too nice either." I can see Hobi becoming amused by his reaction.

"How could I not? She started bashing at me as soon as I recognized her!"

"You were the one who started the fight though."

"Are you going to be on her side?" The orange-haired boy turns defensive. "Because I can just call them back and I'll leave."

Hoseok rolls his eyes, not wanting to deal with his rants. "Relax. All I'm saying is that she seems really cool. Hayeon was telling me that yesterday while they were trying to bail the boys out of jail, Taehyung had one of those breaking moments."

_They were in jail? What have they done now?_

"What happened?" He asks concerned.

"He went to sleep as they were waiting for the girls to get them, and he had some sort of nightmare where at one point he started crying and hyperventilating, like that last time he was with Kook at the park."

"They couldn't stop him this time?" Jimin asks the same thing I'm thinking, as if our brains are in synchronization. We had experienced a similar episode with Tae once a few years ago. I remember being called desperately by Jungkook who didn't know what to do, I still don't know how I was able to calm him down then.

"She told me that this girl was the one who took care of everything."

_Wait... Jesse? How can that be possible?_

"She says that Rapmon and Suga hyung have never looked so stunned with her doing such act. Jesse just met them the previous day and she was able to cut Taehyungie from his deep trance. She was the one who found him that morning at the abandoned warehouse the day of the memorial, I believe." J-Hope drops the details to him who's hearing it all for the first time.

_So it is the same Jesse. Kim Hayeon's friend._

It's hard to make up what is Jimin thinking by his face features, but he just mumbles an almost inaudible 'I see...'

"V-hyung is not an easy task when it comes to these outbursts. For her to have handled him twice in that state? That girl is something." Hoseok side-comments.

 _She really is._  
  


* * *

  
  


**「** **_ Jesse  _ ** **」**

"How was Hope today?" Namjoon asks her sister as she passes me the plates she just rinsed.

"He seemed fine, it felt like nothing has happened to him in the first place." Hannah continues to wash the rest of the dishes. "Jimin was there with him when we arrived."

Namjoon looks up from his phone. "Did you just said Jimin? As in Park Jimin?"

"Yes, Jimin oppa." Hannah glimpses confused at her older brother. "The Park Jimin of always, though this time with orange hair."

"How is he doing?" He interrogates her in pure wonder. "I haven't seen him in days... Does he know about Hyung?"

"I asked him how he was doing, and Hoseok told me that he was the one who called him after he received the news about the accident." Hannah says.

"That's all?"

Hannah looks at me, then at Namjoon. "I would've asked him more if it wasn't for my good friend here who kept fighting with him for stupid causes."

I roll my eyes. "It's not my fault he's a jerk."

"You've met each other?" He asks me, somewhat astonished with my comment.

I sigh. "We sort of did, but it didn't turn out pretty. Hence, our official introduction was yesterday."

"Which still didn't turn out as pretty." Hannah shoots me one of those amused glances.

"Whatever, he's still a jerk."

"Who?" Taehyung comes down from the stairs as he dries his hair from the shower he just took. "Jesse got into a fight?"

"With Park Jimi--"

"Did Mom or Dad call?" Namjoon abruptly interrupts Hannah, giving us both that element of surprise. Did he do that on purpose?

"No, they didn't..." Hannah squints in suspicion.

"Namjoon-ah, it's fine." Taehyung finally speaks up, breaking the awkwardness. "There's no need to do that. I'm actually glad he decided to show up." He says that in such a cold gesture, it got me to the conclusion Jimin and him aren't in such good terms.

"And Hoseok-hyung?" He tries changing into a lighter subject.

"Better, thankfully." Hannah replies. Just as she was telling Taehyung about our visit, my phone vibrates randomly. I check the screen and notice it's out of battery. _Are you kidding me? It was in 75% when we left the hospital! Ugh, I should get a new phone soon..._

"I'll be back, I'm putting my phone to charge." I tell them before heading to Han's room.

I walk up to the bedroom in search for my ultimate lifesaver, the one that keeps me connected with the shit humanity has to offer every day. "I hope it's inside my purse... I did take it to the police station yesterday, right? Or maybe it's still in my suitcase?" I talk to myself, trying to remember where I have left it.

Out of the blue, an intense familiar chill creeps down my spine.

I should've become accustomed to this by now, but when he finally spoke up, his voice was so close I almost screeched for life if it wasn't for the pillow he throws at me almost immediately.

_"What the hell, woman? Why do you keep screaming every time I appear?!"_

"The 'what the hell' should be _my_ sentence. Why do you keep creeping like that?!" I shout at him in whispers. I know, it makes no sense right now but until it happens to you, everything falls into place.

 _"I just asked what were you doing..."_ Seokjin huffs.

"Are you currently aware you are a --I don't know-- _Ghost?!_ " I throw the pillow back at him and just as expected it passes through him.

 _"I am offended."_ He places a hand on his hip and with the other one points at the same cushion.

"Anywho," I ignore his sassy pose. "where were you? I haven't seen you since yesterday."

 _"I've been wandering around, trying to figure out some things that still aren't cleared in my mind."_ He sits on the bed as I keep on searching for my cable.

"Have you found something?"

_"Not exactly... I saw two of my best friends at the hospital."_

"Whoa, really?-- Dang it, I can't find it..." What happened to them?" I walk towards the desk were I spot Hannah's charger instead.

 _"I saw the doctor's notes... One of them suffered an overdose and fell into a short-term coma._ _Fortunately he woke up a few hours later but by the time I arrived they broke down in tears..."_

I glimpse back at him. "Do you think it was because..."

 _"Yeah..."_ He gives a sad smile that sends a pang on my chest.

"I'm so sorry, Seokjin."

 _"You don't need to be, Jess. You're doing enough just by being able to speak to me even when I'm like this."_ He fiddles with his fingers but never take his eyes off me. I wanted to ask him more about this, but this is not the right time and place and I don't want to be seen as a psychopath by my best friend.

_"So I heard Taehyung and Namjoon were in jail?"_

"Yeah, they were. The two idiots decided to vandalize..." I stop for a second to process what he just mentioned. "How did you find out about--"

"Jesse?" The door opens, revealing Hannah. "What's taking you so long?"

"I-I couldn't find my charger so I'm going to be using yours instead, if that's okay." I can hear my heart skip a beat, praying that she didn't hear me speaking with Seokjin.

"Yeah of course, we're thinking of ordering pizza because my parents are coming late tonight." She says. 

"Oh okay, let me answer my mother's text and I'll be there in a moment." I reassure her and she walks away. I turn to Seokjin who has been there the whole time witnessing the brief conversation. It's then when just by looking at him, flashbacks of Taehyung's breakdown at the cell come into mind. 

 

_Kim Seokjin... Is it you?_

 

"I just remembered something I'd like to speak to you about later, so be around." I mumble before exiting the room. 

 _"Okay, sure."_ He just nods. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you've been liking the story so far. I'm taking long in updating because I've been balancing between work, adulthood, and I'm starting a new semester in college so things get better and better :))) (sarcasm intended)
> 
> I'm nominated for the 2016 KPOP Watty Awards in wattpad! If you'd like to support this story (and make me update more lol) check out their profile for the rules and such (@thekpopwattyawards). Other than that, please comment and vote. I want to hear your feedback! Doesn't matter whether it's good, bad, questions about the plot or commenting on the grammar. Just release that voice and let me know what you think! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! See you on the next chapter :)
> 
> ~Bia x


	12. 1.1 (original)

                                                                                    

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

**「** **_Jesse_** **」**

"Man, that pizza was really good." I comment as I button up my pajama shirt.

"I told you it was going to be worth it. Tae-oppa knows how to order those well." Hannah grins as she spreads her bed sheets. "He looked so amused looking at your reaction, though."

"Can you blame me?" I say as I fix my pillow. "Bless that pizza."

"He seems to like you a lot." She mentions.

"Don't jump into stupid conclusions, Hannah Kim. I just met the guy."

"I'm serious! He was never this clingy with anyone before aside from the boys. Let alone girls. He's always been awkward with them, though he's usually cheerful and very independent. At least when Jin oppa was still around..." Hannah expresses her feelings with a sad smile. "Ever since the accident, he hasn't been himself."

"Have you found out about the blood stains on his clothes?" I sit up on the mattress.

She presses her lips on a thin line before speaking. "No... I asked Namjoon and he just told me it wasn't of great importance. He knows something, though. Something he is covering to protect Taehyung."

"I've been meaning to ask you, what happened to your friend Hoseok?" I felt like it was the appropriate time to ask her. After all, it was never clear to me since he looked perfectly fine when we paid him a visit earlier.

"From what he told me, he took aspirin for terrible muscular pain, but didn't know how much to take nor how much a dose was, so once he went to the pharmacy to buy pain reliever cream, he became drowsy and collapsed on the street." She explains. "The idiot went into a coma until yesterday evening."

_A coma._

"I don't understand why these people do stupid shit. I can't believe I'm related to one of them." She sighs. "If Kim Seokjin was here, they'd be the most civilized children you could ever meet."

 _There it is, that name again_.

"That's Jin... Oppa's real name, right?" I dare to interrogate about it. I know I shouldn't be doing such, but I crave for more information about this guy. I want to know if my suspicions are right and it's the same ghost I've been speaking to these days.

"Uh-huh, same person."

_It has to be him._

"Do you mind... telling me more about him?" I carefully ask.

"What is there to tell you? He was the kindest person you could ever meet. Crazy for food and the color pink." She smiles as she describes the boy. "Was very sassy at times, made the worst jokes, cooked great dishes..."

"He sounds like a mom." I try to hold my laugh out of respect, but as soon as Hannah laughs, the atmosphere eases out.

"He was sort of like a mother, he was the oldest in the group after all."

"How old was he?"

"Twenty-four... Well, Korean age. He was actually going to turn twenty-three in December."

"He was so young..." I murmur. "and his birthday is next month... Gosh, that is horrible."

"I just can't believe it, you know?" Hannah shakes her head. "I can't believe how the life of the most kindest, sweetest, and caring human in the whole damn world... Would end in a blink of an eye..." Her voice almost cracks, and tears threaten to fall. It makes my heart ache. It's clear that Kim Seokjin has made a great impact in her life.

The room's temperature got colder in a matter of seconds, and that meant we weren't alone. Seokjin suddenly appears, dumbfounded that Hannah is still awake. He mumbles some apology for intruding, and I just stare at him. My heart hurt even more when my brain automatically arranged every detail Hannah has just told me into place.

"I'm sure he's looking after you..." I don't avert my eyes from him. "I'm sure he's looking after the boys as well."

"I really hope so. If the chance was given, I wish I could talk to him and ask him how it all happened." She wipes the rim of her eyes.

She took me by surprise when she mentioned that. "Everything will eventually be explained... Let's rest now, you need to go to work tomorrow."

* * *

 

 **「** **_Jin_** **」**  

It's 2AM and sitting down next to Kim Taehyung's bed as he sleeps soundly, what surprises me about this is how he doesn't wake up with Namjoon's snores. I love the bro, but it's almost impossible to sleep with him. I'm supposed to be a ghost without senses and I still want to stuff a pillow on his face.

I get up and head to Hayeonnie's room again. I figured that by this time she'd be asleep so I can speak to Jesse without any interruptions.

The room is dark when I enter, but I can still see the two girls laying down in each mattress without making any sort of movement aside from breathing.

 _Wait that's not good, I need this girl awake_.

I walk to find her eyes closed. I want to let her because she probably had a long day and sleeping is something beautiful. As a ghost I have come to appreciate the small things life would offer to the humanity, I hope I was able to sleep again...

But this is not the time to be thinking about sleeping.

 _"Jesse? It's me, Seokjin. You told me to be around so we could speak..."_ I whisper to her cautiously, but there's no reaction.

 _"Jesse, please?... Jessabelle?"_ I was going to poke her nose, but all of the sudden she opened her mouth to bite my finger. The reflex was so swift, I didn't have even a second to think fast and remove it. Her teeth went through, yet I still managed to scream because I got so scared. _"Aish... What's wrong with you?!"_

I glance at the crazy girl again, who this time she has both her hands on her cheek and rubbing her teeth with her tongue. "Ahhwaah..." I figured she got a tooth-freeze as soon as we made contact.

_"Are you available to talk now?"_

She looks back at sleepy Hayeon and nods quietly, immediately getting up from the mattress, grabbing her hoodie and cellphone on the way.

I follow her through, as she slowly walks her way out to the front porch. I'm amazed at how careful she is to not wake anyone up. However,I bump into a table accidentally and the vase on it threatens to fall. Fortunately, she rushes to it and holds the jar in place. I can see fire in her eyes as she glares into my soul, if looks could kill, I'm glad I'm already dead.

We reach the front door and she slowly opens it while I guard her back. Once she closes the door behind, she sighs. "That was close."

 _"That was_ really _close, why did you decide to come here instead of somewhere inside?"_

"It's safer here. If someone comes by, I could tell them I was speaking on the phone with my mother." She sits down on the last step from the top of the stairs.

 _"Ah..."_ I rub my chin in thought, thinking of another excuse she could use just in case. _"Oh wait, there's an eleven-hour difference between here and where you're from, right?"_

"Yeah."

 _"That's right..."_ I check out the windows from the second floor which I believe is Namjoon's room. _"Then I don't see why you should have a problem. I suggest you to talk low just in case, so we prevent any sort of attention. Although that is Mon's room, and he snores a lot so they might not even--"_

"Kim Seokjin."

The words stopped coming out of my mouth as if someone has chopped off my tongue right there. I look down and I witness the waxing crescent moon is shinning specifically on her. Her big orbs stare firmly at mine.

 

"I know who you are, Kim Seokjin."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be low-key honest, I was a bit bored at my job and ended up doing the nice simple edit you've seen earlier in the chapter. Whoops.
> 
> I finally got my first kudo and I got so emo... don't be afraid of giving any feedback or comment on how the story goes so far! If you have wattpad, I'm nominated for the kpop wattys, and it would be a true honor if you could support my story by giving votes and comments (specially to improve the plot). I know I won't win but as long as people enjoy reading it, it's fine with me :) 
> 
> See you in the next chapter!
> 
> ~ Bia x


	13. 1.2 (original)

                                                             

 

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

**「** **_Jesse_** **」**  


**"I know who you are, Kim Seokjin."**

It felt like a staring competition. Neither one of us would avert their eyes from each other. I knew I was right though, every single clue I had found would always lead up to him.

His next move, however, it's a bit unexpected. He lowly starts to laugh as if someone has just said a dark joke and he's cackling out of sympathy when he shouldn't. I could sense the nervousness in it.

 _"So you know my full name. That's easy to guess; there are a lot of Kim Seokjin's in Korea."_ He crosses his arms rather defiantly.

"You know who I'm talking about. _Kim Seokjin_ as Namjoon, Taehyung, and Hayeon's friend. The twenty-two year-old guy who loves the color pink and food. The one who wold take good care of his best friends since he felt that responsibility of being the oldest."

Bam, that's how you make a ghost get into a state of shock.

 _"H-How did you figure out it was me?"_ He stutters in disbelief.

"My suspicions lightened up when Taehyung had that nightmare at the police station. He mentioned your name though I wasn't sure it would be you. Once you told me about your friend staying in the hospital I figured you were speaking about Hoseok and then you mentioned about Taehyung and Namjoon getting arrested which Hayeon only told that to Hoseok and Jimin when we paid a visit."

He stares at me for a while, processing what I just told him. Then he decides to speak up. _"I sort of gave it away, didn't I?"_

"Well, if you think about it, you sort of did. I just didn't caught it up fast enough." I smile, victorious of my new discovery.

 _"You're pretty good at this."_ He sits next to me on the first step. _"We've only met a few days ago and you already know part of my life."_

I lightly puff, feeling the pride for a small moment until I bring a more serious conflict about this case. "You know that if you really want me to help you, I'm going to need to know more about you."

 _"I would tell you about some things, but don't expect me to be much detailed because I barely remember anything."_ He throws the warning straight-up.

"Do you think it's because you got some sort of trauma after the accident?"

He presses his lips tight. _"Not sure. This is the first time I become a ghost..."_

"Touché." I nod, making him chuckle.

 _"You should go to sleep. You can ask me anything_ _If I can remember_ _later."_  
  


\---

I only managed to sleep about six hours overall, which it isn't bad but it's not as good either. My body feels exhausted and it seriously took me a good half hour to get off the mattress.

Hannah and her parents had to go to work once again, so I was alone at their house. I haven't seen Namjoon and Taehyung, so I figure that they probably headed out who knows where.

I found a lonely note on the table of the dining room, and it caught my attention when I saw it was addressed to me.  
  


**_Jesse dear,_ **

**_Like always, feel at home._ **

**_But please maintain everything clean._ **

        **_Saeri x_**  
  


Ah, you gotta love Mrs. Kim.

And so I chose to make myself a nice egg omelette with some cheese I have found in the fridge. I didn't want to make much of a mess so I decided to keep it simple, on top of that I don't know anything about Korean cuisine.

 _"What are you doing?"_ I hear Seokjin behind me, I wasn't as scared since I previously felt that usual chill in my back.

"Trying to make breakfast." I say almost quiet due to my focus.

_"Breakfast? That's not breakfast."_

"It is in America." I slash back, defending my customs. "And take a guess where I'm from?"

_"Are you seriously this sarcastic?"_

"Yeah, pretty much." I grin, somewhat entertained by all this. "You'll have to get used to it if you want me to help you."

 _"Oh crap, I forgot we're in the house. Is anyone sleeping?"_ He starts to look around cautiously.

"Dude, I wouldn't be speaking to you in a normal tone if there was someone." I turn off the stove once I finish cooking and place my omelette on a plate.

_"That looks good."_

"I know right?" I say proudly.  
  


We kept talking about random things all morning, which was pretty nice since it ease out our current paranormal situation a bit. I noticed that he likes to talk a lot when he's in a good mood, specially about cooking. Like Hannah has said, he would often sound like a mother, considering his best friends as his sons. He's very kind, which really makes you wonder why his life had to end so quickly.

I decided to walk around the neighborhood, since I didn't have much to do in the house. He didn't mind coming along, we just need to be more careful when we are in the public.

_"How are you liking Seoul so far?"_

"Seoul is very pretty overall like I expected it to be. I do want to go a city that has this beautiful beach I've seen in a picture once..." I try to recall the name but I can't seem to remember it well.

 _"Jeju Island?"_ He asks.

"Uh... No?" I think about it well. "The place ended in 'San', not sure exactly... Hoosan? Pulsen?"

 _"Don't you mean_ Busan _?"_ He takes a guess on the name and it gets me thinking.

"You know, I think that must be it." I glance up in mid-thought. "Yeah I think it was Busan, has a bunch of beaches, right?"

 _"Well, it is a coastal city so they have lots of them... I'm not from there though so I can't give you much advice regarding where to go--"_ He stops his tracks when he notices something from afar. I try tracing to what he's staring at and find a guy looking down as he's sitting on a swing.

"Wait, is that Jungkook?" I squint to try to get a better look of him.

_"I was just asking the same thing."_

I pace over to greet him, debating whether I should give him a scare or just casually pass by. I see he isn't moving much, which gets me a little worried. "Jungkook?"

He finally glances up, and I feel my breath stop as I witness the bruises on his face. "Oh my God."

 _"Convenience store to your far right, they're likely to have bandages."_ Seokjin gives me a quick tip as if he has read my mind, which I truly appreciate it.

"Don't move from here, I'll be right back." I point at him in warning and rush to the retail store.

 _"What the hell has he done now..."_ Seokjin sighs as he searches along through the aisles. _"The rubbing alcohol is there by the way."_

"Rubbing alcohol damages the skin tissues and will delay the healing." I mumble, looking for aid pads.

He seems impressed. _"I see you like science?"_

"Nope." I spot the pads and grab a small bag. "I just have a lot of experience getting injured." I quickly smile at him out of sympathy and head to the cashier.

Once paying for everything, I run back to the wounded boy on the swing. I drop the back next to him to catch his attention, which eventually works as he averts his eyes to me in slight astonishment. Without saying a word, I apply some ointment lightly on my finger before tapping it over the bruises. He winces by the contact and I immediately apologize.

"You don't have to do this." I hear the sad boy murmur.

"Nonsense." I reply.

 _"Oh yeah, Jungkookie is a Busan boy himself."_ I hear him comment out of the blue, which causes me to quickly glare at him. _"I'll shut up now."_

"Thank you..."

"There's no need for that." I give him a small lop-sided smile, as I continue to focus on the small cut on his lower lip. I come into mind that it's likely he got these from a physical fight.

"I'm not going to ask what happened because it's none of my business, but if you need someone to talk about it, I can lend an ear."

He looks up to me, his eyes are so glassy as if he's about to cry.

I could feel a tug in my heart.

"I didn't know small cuts would hurt this much..." I mention lowly as I place a pad on his left cheek.

He clears his throat. "I'm not..."

"Whatever you say, big guy." I say to lighten up the mood. 

"You sound like a _noona_..." He randomly mentions.

I glance at Seokjin in confusion, which thankfully he immediately notices that I have no single clue on what Jungkook has just said. _"Noona is a girl who is older than a guy, usually an older sister."_

"I'm not older than you though... Right?" I step back.

"What year?" He asks.

"Ninety-seven."

"We have the same age, then." He smiles.

"Ah, good--" I stop as I remember Hannah's Korean birthday tradition lecture that took me 2 weeks to process it. "Wait, here in Korea; but what month?"

"September 1st."

I drop the bag from my hand. "April 14th."

"What."

 _"What."_ Even the ghost is shocked.

"How can you be younger than me?!" I just cannot believe.

"Well, that would be my parents' fault for deciding to f--" I flick his forehead quickly to stop him from saying such savageness.

"I cannot believe." I shake my head in disbelief, and he finally lets out a chuckle. I don't know what happened to him earlier, but I feel relieved when he lets out a smile on top of all that sadness. 

"I'm sorry, I had to."

"You dirty punk."

"I just have a sexy mind--"

"Jeon Jungkook?" 

We both get quiet as that voice interrupts our banter. I turn around to find a tall guy coming closer towards us. 

"Jaeyoung-hyung..." I hear Jungkook murmur. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Same, man-- oh shit, what happened?" He noticed his face, and I just stand there awkwardly as they interact. 

"Got into a small fight..." He gives a small shrug, causing his friend to laugh. 

"You need to be more careful, Kook." He pats his shoulder and eventually notices me standing there. "And who's this? New girlfriend?" 

I have the urge to roll my eyes, but I contain myself as Jungkook speaks for me. "She's a friend visiting the city. Her name is Jesse." 

"Yoon Jaeyoung, pleasure to meet you." He offers his hand to shake. 

"Nice to meet you too." I reply discreetly. When I take his hand, I feel a chill on the back of my neck and as if I have butterflies in my stomach. Is this good or bad? Not sure, but I keep my mouth as shut as possible. 

It crossed my mind that maybe it's Seokjin's presence that is causing me to cringe, so I take the opportunity to avert my eyes to him as the other boys speak to each other. 

He looks blanked out in thought... Is he okay?

 

 

 **「** **_Jin_** **」**

Yoon Jaeyoung.

_Where have I heard that name before?_

I am trying my hardest to recall his face. I feel like I know him, but I don't remember any moment I might have spent with him when I was still alive. 

 _Maybe he was a childhood friend?_  

I glance at Jesse, which I have come to notice she isn't speaking but staring at me as the guys try to catch up with one another. It seems like she's trying to tell me something, but when she starts to make some signal, her phone's ringtone goes off as she receives a phone call. 


	14. 1.3 (original)

                                                                  

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 **「** **_Jesse_** **」**

I grab my ringing phone as I excuse myself from the boys.

It's Hannah. "Hey, what's up?"

[[ _Hey, I need of your assistance. Can you drop by the convenience store in a bit?_ ]] She says in almost whispers, which gets me a little concerned.

"I'll be right there, everything good?" I glance at Jungkook who stops talking with his friend Jaeyoung as he listens to my stern voice.

[[ _Yeah, just hurry._ ]] She quickly replies and the lines cuts off.

"I must go." I quickly mention to the boys before dashing off, but first I point at my best friend's friend. "I'll see you soon, be careful."

I started running as fast as I could. I didn't know how I managed to take such speed, but I was scared something bad happened to Hannah. Seokjin followed right behind me.

"Welcome to Il-- oh." She says as soon as I barge into the convenience store.

"W-Wha....What ha..." I try to regain some oxygen.

_"My goodness, when was the last time you did exercise?"_

I send Seokjin the most deadliest of glares, in which he immediately turns around and walks into an aisle.

"When was the last time you run?" Hannah asks.

"Are you serious?!" I huff, and I hear a snort from the spirit himself. I can't believe these two. "Anyway, are _you_ okay?"

"Uh, don't I look okay?" She raises her eyebrows in confusion.

"You sounded like someone was robbing the place or something." I cross my arms, starting to feel annoyed.

"My boss was around, and I couldn't use my phone then." She explains as she puts away the broom in the janitor's closet. Instead of telling her off from scaring the shit out of me, I just sighed. "Okay, so what do you need?"

"I need you to do some delivery for me." She hands me a plastic bag with closed plastic cups and wood chopsticks. "Be careful, it's hot."

"Delivery? To who?" 

And so, I ended up back at the hospital.

I walked into the same cold lobby I have seen the day before. I was a bit bored throughout my small trip since I lost track of Seokjin after getting out of the convenience store... Or did I forget about him there?

Whoops.

Well, anyway. Hannah warned me that they switched the fellow friend to an individual room since the previous night became hectic in the ER area, so as soon as I got there, I asked at the front desk for the new location. Fortunately, it was very close from where he was previously at when we visited yesterday.

As soon as I arrived to the new room, I knocked on the door. "Special delivery for... Jung Hoseok?"

"Come on in." A voice inside the room replies. When I open the door, the person I have been dreading to encounter the most, appeared in my area of sight. However, there was no sign of his friend who was the one I came here for.

"Um, where's Hoseok?" I glance around the room.

"Good afternoon to you too." He doesn't even bother looking up.

"I _really_ don't like you." I comment calmly.

"The feeling is mutual." He replies.

"Jerk."

"Annoying."

"Idiot." I backslash. The bathroom door opens as soon as he is about to return the compliment, revealing Hoseok who just shakes his head. "I can't believe that as soon as you two see each other, you start fighting."

"He started it." I defend my cause.

"What?! You were the one who--"

"Are you seriously continuing?!" Hoseok raises his voice in disbelief. "Gosh, you sound like a bunch of five year-olds." He walks towards me. "So what brings you here, Jesse?"

"Delivery from Hannah." I hand him the bag.

"Hannah? Who's Hannah?"

"Hayeon." I correct myself. "Ugh, this always happens."

"Oh! You brought the ramen!" He says excitedly. "Oh thank God, I starved all day."

What. "Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say ramen? So I came all the way over here just to bring y'all _ramen_?!"

"Pretty much, yeah." He shrugs and walks back to the bed. I'm not sure what to say at this point, and the idiot next to him doesn't tell him anything, so I just sigh and start walking out.

"Where are you going?" I stop my tracks and turn around to face him again.

"I just came here to drop this off..." I say quietly, not sure of what I've done right or wrong.

"According to this note, the third cup is for you."

I'm bamboozled. "What? Wait, I didn't ask--"

"So you're keeping us company!" He interrupts what I was going to say, I glimpse at Jimin who is just minding his own business.

"But I didn't--"

"No excuses, we can't let ramen go to waste." Hoseok places a pair of chopsticks inside the cup of noodles. I'm a loyal defender of food, and I can't let that get thrown away.

"I... Okay, fine." I roll her eyes and walk to the bed to sit since Jimin is already occupying the only chair in the room. She grabs her cup and starts to eat.

Beef ramen.

_I love you, Kim Hayeon._

"...re with the chopsticks." I hear Hoseok say as I wake up from my small inner praise for Hannah. I glimpse at him and it seems like what he said was directed to me because he currently stares as if waiting for me to respond.

"I'm sow..." I got a mouth full of noodles so I stop to swallow before continuing. "I'm sorry, what about chopsticks?"

Hoseok snorts, which makes me more lost than I already am.

"I'm sorry, you reminded me of one time hyung did that when I was talking about his crush..."

"Hyung?" I ask him, not sure of who he's referring to.

"Ah, one of my good friends who... Uh..." He rests his cup between his crosses legs as he tries to get through the sentence. Now I sort of have the idea of who he's speaking to. "... He's not here anymore."

"I'm so sorry..." I feel guilty for bringing that up unconsciously.

"Oh no no, you don't have to apologize. I was the one who brought him into conversation." He slightly smiles as he continues eating.

A long silence reigns after that, which makes me feel more at fault than I already am. I continue eating my ramen before it goes cold.

Luckily for me, the awkward quietness didn't last for long, as Hoseok starts asking me about my life in the United States. Jimin didn't say a word, so it was a tranquil afternoon.

Until I noticed it was getting late.

"Oh shit, I better start going. Hannah is probably home by now." I get up from the bed and grab my few belongings.

"Are you taking the bus?"

"I didn't bring any money with me, but her house is not that far." I reassured.

"It's sort of late for a girl to be walking alone at this time of the night..." He looks out the window. "Jimin-ah, why don't you go with her?"

Before I could refuse, the orange-haired boy finally speaks out after a while. "Okay."

_Is he serious right now?_

I witness him getting up from the chair which confirms my suspicion. "What are you doing? You don't need to go if you don't want--"

"Why are you still talking? Let's get going." And just like that, he makes an exit. I give a brief glance to Hoseok before following Jimin. Behind the door I hear him say: "behave you two!"

I don't like the sound of this, but he's already ahead of me so I might as well just go with the flow.

For a certain amount of time, he walks in front of me as if I don't exist at all. I feel anxious, which I'm not sure why exactly. I don't think he will do anything to me but we aren't in such great terms for him not to say something harsh and just leave me hanging alone in the street.

"Are you scared of me or something?"

 _Wait, he spoke_. "Uh?"

"If you're that scared that you have to walk several feet away from me." He repeats himself as he stops his tracks and glances back at me coolly.

"O-Of course I'm not scared..." I subconsciously fold my arms in front of me. "Are you mad at me, by any chance?"

"You're annoying as hell," _Well, shit_. "But I'm not mad at you." He finishes the sentence and continues walking.

"Oh, well I guess I should feel somewhat relieved." I mumble almost to myself as I catch up to him.

"You're still annoying, though." He emphasizes the statement which aggravates me at this point.

"I get it already." I glare at him, and he smirks in response. "Jerk."

"I get that a lot. So when did you arrive to Seoul?"

"I think about almost a week..."

"Oh, so not so long ago." He comments.

"Yeah, it feels like I've been here longer, though. A lot has happened..." I recap the last couple of days. I come to realize that he remains quiet for the time being, suddenly recalling that he was a close friend of Seokjin's. "I--"

"We're finally here." He interrupts and points to the Kim's house's front porch.

"Right." I almost facepalm myself for being so awkward. _I really need to watch what I say next time_.

I knock on the door and we wait. Eventually, Namjoon opens the door and smiles. "Hey Jess--" He stops abruptly when he spots Jimin behind me.

"Jimin..." His eyes widen.

I glance at Jimin who is reflecting Namjoon's face expression. They don't say anything, but it feels like they are telling each other just about anything.

Namjoon finally decides to talk. "How are you?" His voice is soft, clearly he sounds very concerned.

"I'm fine... You?"

"Could be better." He replies with a sigh. "You come from the hospital?"

"Yeah."

"How's Hoseok?" He sounds almost in a rush.

"Better mood, I'd say..."

"I see," He glimpses back for a second before saying. "You need to go."

"I figured." He murmurs almost silently. He shows a neutral countenance perfect for a poker game, but I notice something different. His eyes specifically. He does not seem satisfied with Namjoon's request.

He finally then looks at me. "I'll see you around."

"Uh... Sure." I must admit I got a little astonished by his greet. We barely see him off when we get inside just as Taehyung goes down the stairs.

"Who was it?" He asks Namjoon, seems like he hasn't seen me yet.

"Oh it was just Jesse who came from running an errand." He glances at me carefully, and I am feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Oh, hey Jesse!" He smiles at me.

"Tae! How are you feeling?"

"It's been good. We were playing video games." He shrugs nonchalantly.

"Ah, that sounds fun." I reply, averting my eyes to Namjoon who I find staring. It only last a second and he walks to the kitchen.

_There is definitely some important detail I'm missing here. Why is he hiding the fact that Jimin dropped me off?_

_Are they archenemies or something?_  

 _Is this something related to Kim Seokjin?_  

"Jesse?" 

Taehyung waves a hand in front of me, interrupting my thoughts. "Y-Yes?"

"Let's go eat, Namjoon is calling us." He smiles.

"Right..." I clear my throat. "Let's go..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update my loves, I just finished the semester and it has been true hell for me. I hope you like this chapter and hopefully I'll keep updating more frequently.
> 
> By the way, yo girl got the Romance/Melodrama and Got Jamz Award at the KPOP Wattys in wattpad! Thank you so much for the support and I will try my best to work harder on this :) 
> 
> Don't be afraid on commenting! I love hearing your feedback so please, inspire me to update!


	15. 1.4 (original)

** **

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 

**「**   ** _Jin_** **」**

The boys were having fun as usual. I didn't feel like getting into their crazy shenanigans because I had an idea on how it was going to end, so I had to stay sober. I was sitting on the table, watching as they were going through a pillow fight Hoseok and Jimin started.

The cause of it? Great question.

_...in.._

As feathers flew everywhere, I took a few sips from my drink and watched the scene unravel in front of me. They laughed all the way until they dropped on the floor from the exhaustion.

When everything dies down, and the boys are all hanging out and drinking along, I hum to a song that I can't see to remember the name. I suddenly turn my head down to the table where I find a bunch of scattered cards I have never seen before in my life.

I grab one by one and start to build a small tower to spare some time. I can sense the guys coming closer to me as they gather around to observe but I try my best to not lose focus on the masterpiece.

_...Jin..._

I place the last two cards on the top of the small house I created, giving the finishing touches. "Haaa you see how--" I couldn't even get the chance to brag about it when Taehyung swipes the house of cards in 0.3 seconds.

The little shit.

I was about to slap him silly when he looks away playing with a card on his mouth for some particular reason. I sigh as I rub my neck in defeat, one of the boys consoling me by patting my shoulder from behind.

_... Seokjin!_

It took me a moment to realize my name is being called. I confirm right away that it is a voice coming from a girl.

I start to remember different flashbacks of the guys crying, my father hugging my mother, the sound of the ambulance...

Then her figure appears. Her back profile only visible, with her long raven hair dancing in the wind; small hands trying to gain cover inside her jacket's pockets from the inevitable cold temperature. She turns around, and I finally see her face. Dark orbs with tears streaming down her cheeks slowly, her nose a rosy color.   
  


**_Seokjin!_ **   
  


The scene surrounding me changes so fast, it takes me a while to recognize where I am. Fortunately, I find a portrait on top of the drawer at the end of the bed. When I look at it, I see me and the boys in one of those crazy adventures we would do every once in a while.

That picture is all it takes to recall my room. Everything else became known to me: my bed sheets and pillows, still in the same mess I left them that last day; the phone charger I always manage to forget unplugging; my Mario Bros figurine collection on the drawer next to another portrait.

I take a look at that photo, it is one of me with a a group of friends from my old high school. We are all laughing in the picture, I can't remember what it was about... Heck, I can't remember any of these people at all, even though they look so familiar. We were all wearing the school's gym clothes, it was probably the annual sports festival.

One thing really caught my eye in the photograph. There is a pretty girl, long hair with her bangs clipped back, leaning against my arm as she hugs it.

I feel strange. I feel like I should be remembering this person but I can't seem to recall anything.

Wait, isn't she the one--

**_Seokjin!_ **

The voice was the same one that woke me up from my senses just a couple of minutes ago. The female voice took me by surprised that all of the sudden I drop the photograph accidentally. Of course, it makes the loudest noise yet as the glass cracks into pieces. "Oh."

Then I hear footsteps coming from outside of the room, nearing closer and closer as the clock on my desk ticks.

"Shit shit shit." I mumble to myself as I try looking for a place to hide, but next thing I know the door slams open, revealing a person I never thought I would see for a while after he left for the military a few months ago.

My older brother looks at the shattered glass on the floor. He looks confused at first, scanning the room for anything that caused such misfortune. Any sign of  _life_.

He kneels, and starts to pick up the pieces slowly so he doesn't get cut. I stare at him for a good minute before ducking to his level and continue observing him closely.

From the last time I saw him, only few months of difference, he seems to have aged. I can imagine he hasn't slept at all in the past few days, since his dark eye bags are clearly visible.

"How are Mom and Dad doing, hyung?" I ask him, although I'm aware he can't hear me at all due to the obvious circumstances.

Or so I thought.

He stops half-way picking up the pieces of glass, and immediately averts his view to me. I don't know what to do at this point so I stay in place, waiting for his possible response to my random question. However, his eyes give me mixed feelings. He is looking at my direction, but at the same time it seems like he is staring at something else.

"Hello? Who is there?" He says alarmed. Maybe he can't see me, but maybe he can possibly hear me if I try well enough.

"Hyung, please don't freak out... It's me, Seokjin. Can you hear me? I was the one who broke the portrait by accident... I'm sorry by the way. How are you dealing with everything?" I wait almost impatiently for his response. He looks thoughtful, as if he is thinking about replying.

Instead, he sighs. I barely witness a tear falling down his cheek, which he quickly wipes off with his shirt's sleeve. He stands up from his position and glimpses at one of his hands. He checks his finger and notices he got a small cut on it, so he turns around and walks out without looking back.   
  
  


I just stood there.  
  
  


Feeling nothing.  
  
  


Nothing but emptiness.


	16. 1.5 (original)

****

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 

 **「**   ** _Jesse_** **」**

 

It's been three days since Seokjin disappeared from my sight.

I feel strange. There is a feeling of anxiety that creeps within me every time I end up wondering about his whereabouts. Who knew I would get this attached with a ghost?

I didn't have much to do since Hannah has been working her hardest to get her salary so she can take me somewhere. I told her she didn't need to do that but she insisted; she can get really stubborn at times.

I wanted to grab something to eat but I still don't feel comfortable going to the fridge myself and get food without permission. Mrs. Kim has mentioned it was fine, but no.

So instead I decided to go by myself and buy something to eat somewhere close.

That's what I've been doing for the past week, which I completely hate it since I'm running out of money, but I can't help it.

"Ugh, I need a temporary job." I mumble to myself.

"A temporary job?" I hear a voice repeat what I just said. I turn around and find none other than the guy that Jungkook and I encountered a few days back. I couldn't remember his name so I just replied with a "oh... hi."

"Hello, you're Jungkook's friend, am I right?" He says with a nice smile, I can't help the butterflies on my stomach.

"Yeah, Jesse." I bow. "You're Jae...?"

"Young, Yoon Jaeyoung." He bows back.

"Sorry, I'm terrible with names at this time of my life." I rub the back of my shoulder out of nervousness. He lets out a chuckle. "It's all good. What is a girl doing alone in the streets of Seoul?"

"Just exploring." I shrug.

"That's nice, Seoul has a lot to offer... Well, if you're a tourist, of course." He sighs.

"I guess?" I really suck coming up with a conversation with people I just meet, but what surprises me from all this is that he seems to have patience with me.

"Well, I got to go because my girl is waiting for me, but I hope to see you around!" He waves and disappears from my sight in just moments.

"He seems like a nice guy." I mumble to myself. I wish I could have Seokjin with me, so he could tell me what's his relationship with Jungkook.

_But where is he?_

I try to think in what ways I could call him but the only few things I remember for summoning a ghost fall between the lines of a paranormal ritual or the ouija board.

"Unless..." I can see from afar a bridge. Maybe if I head to the place where I first found him, he might appear.

So I run there, there is a tiny road that leads to the bottom of the bridge where there is a unfinished walk road parallel to the river. I'm not sure if this is the same spot where the accident happened, but if it leads me to find him, it's worth checking it out.

"Seokjin!" I start shouting. "Are you here? Seokjin!"

There's no sign of his presence, I still haven't felt the chills I usually do when he's around.

I take a deep breath before screaming the name louder. " _Kim Seokj_ \--" I'm interrupted by the sound of a ball slamming a wall. I look to my right to see a guy kicking a ball against one of the column structures that hold the bridge continuously.

The bright orange hair was immediately recognizable, and the way he would hit that sphere against the wall confirmed my speculations.

I walk closely to where he is, silently so he wouldn't notice my presence though he seems to be too focused on his game. He has been here a while since his hot breath can be seen exhaling from his lips.

At one point, he hits at an angle that as it bounces back, it averts to my direction at a fast speed. Out of habit, I stop the ball with my right shoulder, which brings it to my foot and I juggle it a couple of times before throwing it back to him.

He stares at me, not sure if from annoyance or surprise. To break the awkwardness, I wave at him.

Shockingly enough, he returns the greet with a nod.

 _Seems like today we have woken up in a good mood_.

I finally speak up. "What are you doing here by the river?"

"That should be my question." He replies monotone.

 _Nevermind_.

I roll my eyes, realizing how dumb I was to believe that he is actually a nice guy. "I thought you were with Hoseo-- wait, did something happen to Hoseok?"

He completely ignores my question as he continues his kicking session.

"Hello? Hey. I'm talking to you. What happened to Ho--"

I am interrupted by the loudest slam he manages to kick, which resonates several feet away, startling me and even scaring birds from the closest trees.

 _He did that on purpose_.

He sighs and begins to go up the slope that leads back into the streets of Seoul once again.

"What the actual fuck." I mumble to myself.

I follow him behind, not caring if I annoy him at this point. He still hasn't answered my question regarding Hoseok, so I will fight him if I have to.

He goes to the closest Seven-Eleven, likely to get food. Also reminding me that I still haven't eaten breakfast.

A few minutes pass as we scan through the store, when my stomach makes the loudest growl that can be heard all the way to China. Worst yet, Jimin hears it and turns around.

"My bad." I smile, embarrassed. He sighs quietly and continues on with his shopping. I roll my eyes and separate from him to another aisle.

Eventually, he finishes buying and before going outside, he looks back and makes eye contact with me. "I'll be outside." He mouths.

A bit baffled, I just nod and continue scanning for anything I can afford. How the situation is looking at the moment, I can only afford a hot coffee.

_At least it's something._

After paying, I finally head back outside with the cold. I find him in front of the boilers, likely to be making ramen. He notices me and quickly hands me a cup of recently made noodles.

"Eat that, it'll help." He continues with his cup.

I am dumbfounded by his actions. "T-Thanks. You didn't have to..."

"I'm trying to avoid any more embarrassing moments." He retorts bluntly which causes me to glare at him.

"I cannot believe the audacity--" I place a hand on my chest dramatically.

He finally sits on the table and leans against the wall. We stay quiet for a few minutes as we eat, and then he makes the impulse to speak. "Hoseok hyung was finally discharged for the hospital."

I feel a wave of relief as he mentions that he is doing well, but I am still confused with something. "Why aren't you with him?"

"He went to see Namjoon hyung." He sounds like he's almost grumbling at the fact. 

I mouth an 'oh'.  _That makes sense_.

"Did you get into a fight with Hayeon's brother?"

"No, I'm good with Namjoon hyung... I think." He stirs his ramen in thought as he chews.

"And Taehyung?"

He stops munching his food midway to look back at me. "Aren't you asking too many questions?"

"Sorry." I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from asking anything else. I am starting to come to mind that the many conflicts between these guys correlates to Seokjin's death, but how do I get him to speak?

"Since today is the day of interrogations, who were you looking for?" I feel my heart stop for a few seconds, panicking that there's a chance he heard me calling for his dead friend.

"Hold up." I clear my throat. "You knew I was there the whole time? you little shit..." I murmur the last part which I doubt he heard.

"Hey, respect your elders." He points the chopsticks at me.

"Alright grandpa, sorry I called you  _little_  and  _shit_  at the same time." I send him a fake smile.

His eyes widen in astonishment, and my smile drops as I begin to think that maybe it was a bad idea to say that.

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused...?" I almost choke out. Jimin holds the intimidating stare for a few seconds and then the most unexpected thing occurs.

He lets out a quiet snort and throws a tiny fit of laughter. It lasts shortly, but this by far has gotten into my list of 'most shocking moments in life'.

Once he finally calms down, he picks up his chopsticks again. "You should have seen your face."

Instead of slapping him silly, I pick up my own chopsticks and continue eating. " _So_  funny."

"Your face was funny." He grins, again tugging my heart strings.

"At least a miracle happened." I admit, taking him aback.

"What?"

"Finally saw your smile, it's really cute."

I see a tint of blush on Jimin's cheek and ears, which I assume it is due to my compliment, but I stay silent on it instead of teasing him about it. This time he clears his throat and tries changing the subject. "So, you play soccer?"

"I used to when I was in school."

"Ah, the way you got the ball gave it away." He finishes the last contents in his cup.

"I looked cool, didn't I?" I wiggle my eyebrows.

"You could say that if it makes you happy." He places the sticks on the empty cup.

"It's getting late... Do you want to drop you off at Hayeonnie's house?"

"Look at you being a gentleman." I mess with him and he rolls his eyes.

\---

I expected the walk home to be more entertaining since we somewhat bonded well in the past hour and a half, but there was no talk at all. Nothing. Nada.

Hell, it felt like he was trying to get away from me and pretend we were strangers.

We stop at an intersection though there are not many cars passing by. As we wait, all of the sudden I get a little light-headed, making me hold my balance from the traffic light column.

I consider the fact that I probably ate the ramen too fast and did not digest it well. It usually happens to me with food so I keep it from Jimin because we're close to Hannah's house so I could ask Saeri for green tea when I get there.

The light finally gives us the signal to walk, and I follow the same steps as everyone else. I walk slowly as my vision becomes blurry, staying even further behind from Jimin and I can barely see where I'm heading. I stop midway when an almost unbearable pain on my head creeps in. 

I open my eyes and I see the same wide back, but this time stomping away. Was he wearing those clothes before? Why is his hair brown instead of orange?

_"... ait... ou can't just leave like that! Hey!"_

 

_Is that..._

The resound of a honk brings me back to my senses, and when I look to my left I find a black truck nearing towards me thousands of feet per second. There is a screech as the driver tries to press the breaks, but it seems almost impossible for the vehicle to stop.

I know that I won't have the time to move out of the way because my legs don't respond well. I take a deep breath before feeling the impact.

_"Jesse!"_

 

_Seokjin?_

 

Before I can turn back, Jimin comes running to me at full speed, orange-haired again and wearing the same clothes he was wearing earlier. Before I can process what is going on, he grabs me and pushes me out of the way.

I feel something cold surrounding my bicep and usual goosebumps I get when he is near. I try to look back at Seokjin for an explanation, but gravity beats me to it and both my body and Jimin's fall against the asphalt, along with my head.

Then everything turns black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend told me yesterday: "Omfg your story is never going to finish now that they are having another comeback and with HYYH and Jungkook getting into the accident..."
> 
> The only thing I told her was: "Oh hun, it actually inspired me to create a perfect ending for it, you don't understand I am actually very happy."


	17. 1.5.5 (original) "The Questionnaire Effect!"

[ _Applause; crowd goes wild as TBE's AUTHOR enters... Or so she thinks._ ]  
  


AUTHOR: Good evening everyone! Welcome to our first special episode of The Butterfly Effect's " ** _The Questionnaire Effect!_** ", where we are going to be answering interrogations from many of our readers who have probably at one point thought something similar to:  _what the actual fuck is this_. Well, my name is Bianca, author of--

GIRL IN AUDIENCE: We want BTS!

BIA: Alright, alright. They will come out soon...

ANOTHER GIRL: Yeah! We've been waiting here for a month for them!

RANDOM GUY: Where have you've been all this time!

BIA: Uh... About that--

ANNOYING GIRL: Don't use the hurricane excuse, that happened ages ago.

MOST OF AUDIENCE: YEAH! TELL US THE TRUTH!

BIA: ALRIGHT, LISTEN.

[ _AUDIENCE falls silence._ ]

BIA: Hurricane Irma was a factor of delay, it caused a bit of damage in my neighborhood but I was out of power for a whole week at my job; and since, yours truly, works in an accountant office, we had to work full time hours trying to not get behind work which we still di--

ANNOYING GIRL: But if it was a week, why did you took a mon--

BIA: You interrupt me again and I swear I will do the honors to ultimately kick your ass.

ANNOYING GIRL: My bad.

BIA: ( _Clears throat._ ) Anyway, I have college, my people. I am trying to get my Associates in Arts degree since I have fallen behind on that thanks to work and my terrible time management. Every time I would get home, I would try to write something and next thing I know, it would be the next morning and I wake up with my headphones tangled around me.

LITTLE GIRL IN AUDIENCE: Did you break your headphones?

BIA: ( _Stares into space nonchalantly._ ) I broke three pairs in the spam of four weeks.

ANNOYING GIRL: Ouch.

BIA: Yeah... ( _Sighs_.) On top of that I am president of my college's Korean Culture Wave club, and life ain't easy when you're trying to be like Jesus....

[ _AUDIENCE is quiet again_.]

BIA: Get it? Like being in several places at the same time... No?.................................... JESSE. COME OUT ALREADY.

[ _JESSE comes out, AUDIENCE genuinely goes crazy._ ]

JESSE: Um... Hi everyone. ( _Waves awkwardly._ )

BIA: Jesse, how are you?

JESSE: It's been a day.

BIA: ( _Looks down at her notes_.) You don't say... Okay, so we are going to ask a few questions that some of our readers have been wondering for... ages since I have released this story.

JESSE: It's been a while. The boys have made four comebacks.

BIA: ( _Glares at her_.) What.

JESSE: ( _Realizes_ _she fucked up_.) What. ( _Scoffs_.) Whaaa? What nonsense am I talking about? Which boys? What are comebacks? Blood, Sweat  & Tears? DNA? What is this, a biology lesson? Ha... Ha-ha... haaa....

BIA: ( _Stares_.)

JESSE: I will shut up now.

BIA: Thank you. Let's go to our first question from.... Maisie from England! Where is Maisie?

MAISIE: ( _Stands from her seat_.) Hi!

BIA: Tell us your question, Maisie.

MAISIE: Where are you from?

JESSE: Florida, United States.

MAISIE: ...That's it?

JESSE: ( _Looks at BIA, baffled_.) Am I supposed to be saying something else?

BIA: I can't be answering your question, you got a life of your own now.

JESSE: Shit, you right. ( _Fixes her posture._ ) I am from Florida.

BIA: ( _mumbles_ ) You said that already.

JESSE:  _South_  Florida, United States.

BIA: Really, Jesse.

JESSE: ( _aggravated_ ) Okay  _genius_ , then what should I say?!

BIA: (to MAISIE) To answer your question as author, dear Maisie, I have a belief that everyone should have their own imagination of Jesse's background so people could relate the most. I am saying Florida because I live in Florida, but it doesn't mean she is from there, she can be from another state if you'd like. 

JESSE: ( _puts on a cowboy hat, thick southern accent_.) Howdy y'all, tis' yer girl from Albuquerque, Texas.

BIA: Now you're being stereotypical.

JESSE: Can we just go to the next question already?

BIA: The next question comes from Mina, in New Delhi. "Do you have any Korean ancestors? Since one of your surname is  _Lee_."

JESSE: Well, Lee is not only a common last name in East Asia, but also in the United States as well, even Europe. It derives from Leah or Leigh, and through generations it has changed.

BIA: a lot of people get it confused, right?

JESSE: People believe that I'm part Korean... I wish, though.

BIA: Same.

JIN: Same. (Appears behind Jesse abruptly.)

BIA/JESSE: ( _Jolt in-sync_.) HOLY MOTHER OF GOD.

[ _Audience cheers even louder than before_.]

JIN: Hi everyone! ( _Blows kisses with his hand_.)

JESSE: You seriously need to stop that. 

JIN: You didn't hear my foot steps this time?

JESSE: Did someone forget to send you the memo that you're a ghost?

JIN: This is a questionnaire, at the moment I'm not a ghost but alive and well... ( _Stops to think about it for a few seconds. Turns to BIA expectantly._ ) Right?

BIA: Um... I actually didn't thought of that.

JIN: Then how come the audience can see me? ( _Turns to AUDIENCE_ ) Am I right?

AUDIENCE: Yeah!!

ANNOYING GIRL: Jin, why are you dead?

JESSE: ( _Glances at BIA_.) Is that supposed to be a trick question.

BIA: At this point I have no clue. No one can stop that chick. 

JIN: Because life is not fair.

ANNOYING GIRL: You mean the  _author_  isn't fair.

BIA: Excuse you, you little sh--

JESSE: ( _Grabs BIA by wrist and pulls note cards from her._ ) OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR QUESTION. The next question is from Alicia from Spain... oh.

JIN: What happened?

JESSE: She is asking why am I not calling you or the others... 'oppa'.

BIA: Oh boy.

JIN: Interesting.

JESSE: Um, guys... I'm not Korean and I didn't know it was necessary since I am a foreigner and don't know the boys that well, yet. I have heard Hannah call them by that but because she has known them since forever and she is a native. 

BIA: Lots of people almost crucified me for this lol 

JIN: I think it would be super awkward if Jesse starts calling us by oppa, I mean I would die laughing but like, for the others it would be super weird. 

JESSE: Don't you mean you will head to heaven laughing because hun, you dead already.

BIA: ( _Snorts_.)

JIN: Touché.

JESSE: ( _Flips hair_.) 

BIA: Last question before we end this first questionnaire. Where is Susan?

ANNOYING GIRL: (Raises hand.) That would be me. 

BIA: ... How would you know there are no other Susan's in the crowd?

SUSAN: ( _Stands up, turns to AUDIENCE_.) Are there any other Susan's in this room?

[ _AUDIENCE stays quiet_.]

BIA: ( _inhales deeply_.) Alright,  _Susan_. What do you got for us. Please be coherent. 

SUSAN: Okay, fine... So why does Jin call Namjoon and Yoongi 'hyung' when they are younger than him?

( _Everyone goes silent_.)

JESSE: You have to give it to the girl, that is a good one.

BIA: ( _Clears throat._ ) Well, before I decided to write this story, I have seen very few occasions where Seokjin would call Namjoon and Yoongi 'hyung' because of their maturity. However, that's not the reason why I'm doing that in this story. We are assuming that Seokjin cannot remember a great part of his life, along with the fact that he does not remember if he committed suicide or if it was a homicide.

JIN: You know, I actually never thought of it... But how would I know of my family then?

BIA: Because they have been with you all your life, while the boys have been with you for the last part of it.

JIN: I see...

JESSE: Do you know if it was a suicide or homicide?

BIA: Duh, I'm the writer of this. 

JIN: Are you going to tell us?

BIA: Of course,  _not_.

JESSE: Aw come on. Why do you have to do this to me.

BIA: Because you're the main character, a smart girl, and you'll figure it out soon enough.

JIN: ( _Pats JESSE's back_.) Well, it was nice knowing ya.

JESSE: Bianca, you can't do this to me.

BIA: And that is all for the first chappisode of  _The Questionnaire Effect!_  I hope you all had a good time and we will be seeing you again soon. If you have any questions, drop them down in the comments for the next episode, and we will mention you. Maybe we will have new guests along the way... It will all depend on you, our lovely audience.

JIN: Did she just said 'chappisode'?

JESSE: I think she is trying to steal the Master of Jokes status... 

JIN: Oh, hell no.

BIA: See you next time!

JESSE/JIN: Byeeee!


	18. 1.6 (original)

                                                                                             

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 

 

 

When I opened my eyes, the first thing appearing in front of me was a white wall.

_Wait no, it's the ceiling._

_Is it?_

Right after coming to my senses, I feel one of the worst pangs in my head. Fortunately, the ice packs on my forehead and nape are helping a lot to diminish the excruciating pain.

"You two need to stop this right  _now!_ " I hear Hannah scream. I slowly glance to my right to see what is going on and that's when I find her between Taehyung and Jimin, mostly pushing Jimin away while Namjoon holds Taehyung back.

"I swear, if you end up permanently hurting her, I will kill you." Taehyung finally says.

Jimin grins at his words. "Not like you haven't done  _that_  already."

That sends Taehyung into rage, and he tries his best to reach him by pulling from Namjoon.

I get up from the pillow before it's too late. "What the actual fuck is going on here?"

All four heads turn to me as I try to sit up by myself on the sofa. Hannah pushes through and rushes to where I am, giving me the small impulse to sit. "How are you feeling?"

"My head is banging... How long was I out?" I hold my forehead, trying to stabilize myself.

"Five hours. Jimin called me when he arrived here with you." She says as she checks the back of my head.

That's right, I almost got run over.

When I look up to where the other three are standing, I see Jimin already making his way out of the house silently.

I stand up with the strength I have left, and rush outside to follow him. I pass by Taehyung without saying a single word to him, he stares at me carefully and doesn't do anything to stop me.

It takes me a bit of a job to reach him. He slows down, giving me the chance to get closer. Only feet away, I examine the ripped sleeve of his jacket. It's torn apart mostly on his right side, as if he was dragged on asphalt several feet.

When I finally manage to catch up to him, I grab his arm by surprise. He gets defensive at first until he notices  and his expression softens. "What... You shouldn't be out here."

There are two things I notice as he stares down at me. His watery eyes and his bottom lip cut gradually turning a purple shade around it.

"Are you alright?"

He is taken aback, staying silent.

I step closer and raise my hand to his face, trying to see how bad is his cut which causes him to flinch. "You got a cut. Come back so you get that treated."

He grabs my wrist and pulls away. "Stop. Go back inside."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is happening." I challenge him, feeling the anger and frustration building up inside.  _I need to know why these two despise each other so bad they can't even face._

However, it doesn't do me any better as I get lightheaded and lose my balance. He places a hand on my waist and pulls up the same arm he's been gripping all this time to keep me from falling.

"Shit." It's all I can manage to say, trying to keep myself oriented.

A silence creeps as he holds me to prevent any more crashing episodes. Nothing but a heartbeat rings in the atmosphere, unsure if mine or his.

"You need to go back to the house."

"You need to come with me."

"I'm not going to return, now leave."

"No."

He huffs in annoyance and lets me go. "Then I'll leave instead."

"Wait, Jimin--" He doesn't let me finish as he walks away, without looking back once.

"Just what the fuck." I say out loud. I slowly pace my way back to the house, where I find Hannah waiting for me at the front door. She comes hurriedly to grab a hold of me.

"Were you able to speak to him?"

"He wouldn't listen."

When we finally enter the house, Namjoon is trying to speak to Taehyung, who is trying to avoid the front door by looking a different way.

"Taehyung." I call him in an almost grimly but relaxed tone. Namjoon glimpses at me in astonishment as I dare to confront his friend in such circumstances.

"I am talking to you, and I want you to look at me in the eyes while I'm doing so."

He turns around, and all of the sudden I see him scoffing. His stare sends chills down my spine. "I don't need to give you an explanation."

He raises his chin and puts his hands in his pockets, a clear sign of superiority. He steps closer to where I am, and I feel the anxiety in Hannah's hands as she tries to keep me standing from my weak state.

"Aren't you aware at this point that you are  _nothing_  here?"

And just like that, with such deadly stare, he smirks and heads to the stairs.

I don't know what occurs to me as I come into realization with what he just said. The next few seconds become a blur as my patience reached a point of no return.

I let go of Hannah's arm; without second thought I launch myself to grab his sleeve, pulling him towards me so he can face me again.

And then I swing my fist at him.   
  
  
  
  
  


\---

 

**「** **_ Jin _ ** **」**

 

I watch how Jimin places a wet towel and a pack of ice on her forehead, he moves her hair way from her face delicately as he does so.

It has been four hours since the incident and there's still no sign of her waking up. She is breathing, but she seems to be in some sort of a coma.

Definitely not good.

Hayeonnie returns from the bathroom after treating Jimin's scrapes. "Anything new?"

The boy shakes his head, not managing to look at her. "Nothing yet."

She sits on the far end of the sofa, letting out a long sigh. "Thank God you were close from here."

"I guess."

She is about to say something, when the main door opens, revealing Namjoon and Taehyungie. "Hayeon-ah--" He calls before halting on spot when he finds Jimin next to an immobilized Jesse. "What are y-- wait, is that Jesse?"

"Hyung," The orange-haired one stands up. "Sorry for intruding, but I--" His eyes meet Tae's, who is right behind Namjoon's tall frame. Taehyung shocked at first when he witnesses the scene. After a long pause, he decides to speak up. "What did you do to her?"

Jimin stares at him in disbelief from the way he just asked that, it's clear he is a ticking bomb. "I didn't  _do_  anything."

Taehyung walks towards the unconscious body. "Hayeon-ah, will she be okay?"

"Oppa, you need to let her rest. She might be recovering from a small concussion." Hayeon touches his shoulder lightly. "Jimin brought her here, she almost got hit by a car."

"How where you there?" Namjoon speaks after a while.

"We were previously hanging out..." Jimin grits his teeth, seemingly regretting saying so. "I was walking ahead of her, crossing the street when suddenly, I hear someone..." He stops for a second, in full thought.

_I shouted her name, did you hear me?_

"...Passing by, freaking out about some 'foreign girl stopping in the middle of the street' right behind me. Then I see her, not moving at all, and the car was not stopping, so I ran and pushed her off the road." He explains the episode once again.

I can't help but avert my eyes to Jesse, anxiously expecting for a miracle.

I want to know what happened that moment. What caused her to stop in the middle of the road.

"If you have walked along with her, that wouldn't have happened." Taehyung gives his input in response to the situation.

The orange-haired stares at him amusedly. "Look at you being all protective... Well, I'm not her parent, she can take care of herself. Besides, why do you care so much? She is so fucking str--" The sentence gets interrupted by a slam. To be more specific, Taehyung's fist connecting to his face at a rapid speed.

Everyone is stunned, the Kim siblings are in pure shock. Nobody has seen them fight to this extent. I don't remember them getting this physical to one another.

Jimin, who landed on the floor from the impact, has a moment for himself as he chuckles from what just happened. It reminds me of a distant memory where he reacted a similar way...

However, what occurring next was not part of the memory.

He stands up slowly, his dull dark eyes glare at the one person who sparked the fire. "So you are finally letting your anger out, eh?"

"Why don't you shut the fuck up, you scumbag." The brunnette raises his tone, getting closer to him in seconds and worst thing yet, his Gyeongsang dialect is well pronounced.

"Why don't you fucking make me?" Jimin nears even closer to him to the point their foreheads almost touch, his voice matching the same volume, the Busan satoori accent making him more intimidating. "What are you going to do, huh? Punch me again? I fucking  _dare_  you."

"You son of a--" Before Taehyung grabs him by the collar, Namjoon grabs his wrist and pulls him back. Hayeon gets between them, mainly pushing Jimin few meters away.

"You two need to stop this right  _now!_ " Hayeonnie snaps, glancing between the two of them. Panting is heard from both sides as a tense silence creeps.

"I swear..." Tae tries to compose himself once again. "If you end up permanently hurting her, I will kill you." 

Jimin smiles mischievously, and I have a feling that whatever he will say next, he will put Taehyung into a tantrum.

"Not like you haven't done  _that_  already."

_What did he just say?_

Taehyung freezes on the spot for a slight moment, his cheeks blushed from the tension he has been building up the whole time he has been here. He charges on to grab him again but Namjoon holds him tightly. Jimin tries to take advantage but Hayeon manages to shove him back.

"What the actual fuck is going on here?" A groggy voice is heard from the sofa. Jesse is finally awake, and I have never seen a person looking so confused in their life.

Hayeon leaves her current spot to check on her, the three boys stare at them quietly, and fortunately, the atmosphere becomes relaxed. So calm that Jimin takes the opportunity to leave the house. Knowing him, he probably doesn't want to cause any more trouble for the sake of Hayeon and Namjoon since it's their place.

Jesse suddenly gets up from the cushion, and for a second I thought she was directing towards Tae but instead she bumps into him, trying to make it to the door.

 

"Is she going to get Jimin?" Namjoon asks his sister. 

"I don't even know anymore." She sighs as she glances out the door. 

Taehyung moves away from the door and walks to the stairs. Rapmon tries to stop him on the way. "Where are you going?" 

"Upstairs, leave me alone." 

"Taehyung-ah, are you okay?" Namjoon follows him. 

"Joon hyung, please." 

"No, man. I'm trying to help you here."

"I don't need help." He stops at the foot of the stairs.

"Yah, Kim Taehyung--"

" _Hyung!_ " He finally snaps, and Namjoon jumps in astonishment. Tae quickly seems regretful. "I don't want to talk about it." He clearly tries to restrain from screaming once again. "I'm going to sleep."

_Is he reacting like this because of--_

"Jess is coming back." Hayeon mentions from the porch.

I should head upstairs before she sees me. If this is what I think it is, I need to speak to her as soon as possible. 

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally returned after hurricanes, exams, and life T^T
> 
> Tomorrow I start my mini-term class... HAHAHAHAHA fml.
> 
> Inspire me to update more often. Leave your comments! Curse at me for being a hoe and not updating earlier. 
> 
> ~Bianca xx


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